Three Turkmen human rights defenders arrested on charges of “illegal weapons possession” have been held in prison without contact with lawyers or family members for over a month.
Front Line believes that the charges against Annakurban Amanklychev, Ogulsapar Muradova and Sapadurdy Khajiyev are fabricated because of their legitimate and peaceful work in the defence of human rights.
All three human rights defenders are members of the Bulgarian based NGO, the Turkmenistan Helsinki Foundation (THF) and Ogulsapar Muradova also works as a journalist for the American-funded Radio Liberty.
Front Line has received reports that the three have been ill treated in detention and Amanklychev and Muradova were forcibly administered psychotropic drugs in order to extract confessions. 
