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EspañolSAPARMURAT NIYAZOV
'Saparmyrat Ataýewiç Nyýazow' (February 19, 1940, Gypjak, Turkmen SSR, Soviet Union – 21 December, 2006), also commonly known by the 'Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov' of the Russian spelling 'Сапармурат Атаевич Ниязов' of his Turkmen name, served as the head of state of Turkmenistan from 1985 until his death in 2006. He served as the First Secretary of the Turkmen Communist Party from 1985 until 1991 and the first President of Turkmenistan from 1990 until his death.
Turkmen media referred to him using the title "His Excellency Saparmurat Niyazov Türkmenbaşy, President of Turkmenistan and Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers". His title 'Türkmenbaşy', or ''Turkmenbashi'' (IPA: ), meaning ''Leader of Turkmens'', referred to his position as the founder and president of the Association of Turkmens of the World.[2]
Foreign media criticized him as one of the world's most authoritarian and repressive dictators, highlighting his reputation of imposing his personal eccentricities upon the country. He was also known for an all-pervasive cult of personality which, in many ways, rivaled that of Joseph Stalin. Global Witness, a London-based human rights organization, reported that money under Niyazov's control and held overseas may be in excess of US$3 billion, of which $2 billion is supposedly situated in the Foreign Exchange Reserve Fund at Deutsche Bank in Germany.
Background
Niyazov's father died fighting against Nazi Germany in World War II. The other members of his family were killed in a massive earthquake that leveled Aşgabat in 1948. He grew up in a Soviet orphanage before the state put him in the custody of a distant relative.
In 1962 Niyazov joined the Communist Party. He quickly rose through the ranks, becoming first secretary of the Communist Party of the Turkmen SSR in 1985. He gained this post after Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev removed his predecessor, Muhammetnazar Gapurow, following a cotton-related scandal. Under Niyazov, the Turkmen Communist Party was one of the most hardline and unreformed party organizations in the Soviet Union. On January 13, 1990; Niyazov became Chairman of the Supreme Soviet, the supreme legislative body in the republic. The post was equivalent to that of president.
Niyazov supported the Soviet coup attempt of 1991, but after it collapsed he fell into line and set about separating Turkmenistan from the dying Soviet Union. The Supreme Soviet declared Turkmenistan independent and elected Niyazov as the country's first president on October 27. On June 21, 1992; Niyazov was elected as the country's first popularly elected president; he was the only candidate. A year later, he declared himself "Türkmenbaşy," or "Leader of all Turkmens."
In 1994 a plebiscite extended Niyazov's term to 2002 (99.9% of voters voted in favor, a figure similar to Soviet-era elections) so he could oversee a 10-year development plan. On December 28, 1999, Parliament declared Niyazov President for Life; parliamentary elections had been held a few weeks earlier in which all candidates were hand-picked by the president.
Niyazov and his Russian-Jewish wife, Muza, had a son and a daughter, Myrat and Irina, respectively.
Personality cult
Niyazov ruled as an authoritarian leader, notorious in the Western world for the cult of personality he established around himself in Turkmenistan.[3]
Niyazov, at the beginning of his rule, referred to Turkmenistan as a nation devoid of a national identity. He renamed the town of Krasnovodsk, on the Caspian Sea, Türkmenbaşy, in addition to renaming several schools, airports and even a meteorite after himself and his immediate family. He even renamed the months and days of the week after his family; January becoming Turkmenbashi. Saparmurat Niyazov, Turkmen Leader, Dies at 66 Niyazov's portrait is on Manat banknotes and large portraits of the late President hang all over the country, especially on major public buildings and avenues. Statues of himself and his mother are located throughout Turkmenistan, including one in the Karakum Desert as well as a gold-plated statue atop Aşgabat's largest building, the Neutrality Arch. The statue rotates so that it will always face into the sun and shine light onto the capital city. Niyazov commissioned a palace in Aşgabat commemorating his rule. The government has given him the Hero of Turkmenistan award five times.[4] Niyazov said he opposed having his "pictures and statues in the streets, but it's what the people want."[5]
Erika Dailey, a specialist for the Open Society Institute, said the education system under Niyazov indoctrinated and brainwashed young Turkmen through the Ruhnama, a national epic written by Niyazov. In 2004, he ordered the closure of all rural libraries on the grounds that he thought that village Turkmen do not read.[6]
The Ruhnama, a mixture of revisionist history and moral guidelines, was intended as the "spiritual guidance of the nation" and the basis of the nation's arts and literature.
In Niyazov's home village of Gypjak, a complex has been built to the memory of his mother, including a mosque (est. at US$100 million, built by the French company Bouygues) conceived as a symbol of the rebirth of the Turkmen people. The walls of this edifice display precepts from the ''Ruhnama'' along with Qur'an suras. The Ruhnama was introduced to Turkmen culture in a gradual but eventually pervasive way.
Niyazov first placed copies in the nation's schools and libraries but eventually went as far as to make an exam on its teachings an element of the driving test.
In older pictures, Niyazov had white hair; at the time of his death, it was black.
Domestic policy
Economy
Turkmenistan has the second largest reserves in the gas-rich former Soviet Union, generating high revenue for the state. The government has used central planning, such as state control of production and procurement, direct bank credits with low interest rates, exchange rate restrictions, and price controls, since it existed as a Republic within the U.S.S.R.[7]
In 1991 Niyazov's government put forth a decree granting "the free use of water, gas and electricity by the people of Turkmenistan." In reality, the population receives the lowest possible minimum wage and then the state distributes free water, gas and electricity.
Culture
The ''Neutrality Arch'', atop the monument is a gold-plated statue of Niyazov which rotates 360 degrees every 24 hours so as to always face the sun.
Niyazov put the revival of Turkmen culture as one of the top priorities in Turkmenistan's development. He introduced a new Turkmen alphabet based on the Latin alphabet to replace Cyrillic. The Turkmen language is the state language. All names of months in Turkmenistan were changed from Roman to Turkmen representing famous Turkmen heroes, poets and state leaders.
Security
After Uzbek President Islom Karimov unsuccessfully tried to have Niyazov assassinated on November 25 2002, the Turkmen government arrested suspected conspirators and members of their families. Critics claim the government staged the attempt in order to crack down on mounting domestic and foreign political opposition.[8]
The summer of 2004 saw a leaflet campaign in the capital, Aşgabat, calling for the overthrow and trial of Niyazov. The authorities were unable to stop the campaign and the President responded by firing his Interior Minister and director of the police academy on national television.[9] He accused the minister of incompetence and declared: "I cannot say that you had any great merits or did much to combat crime."
In May 2000, the government revoked all Internet licenses except for the state-owned Turkmen Telecom and in June 2001 shut down all Internet cafés.[10]
By 2005 there were 36,000 Internet users, representing 0.7% of the population.[11]
Foreign policy
Niyazov promoted a policy of strict neutrality in foreign affairs, refraining from seeking membership in NATO or GUUAM and almost ignoring the CSTO. Turkmenistan has not participated in any United Nations peacekeeping missions.
He met with former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien to discuss an oil contract in Turkmenistan for a Canadian corporation in late 2004. In March 2005 news of this meeting caused uproar amongst opposition circles in Canada, who claimed the affair could damage Chrétien's legacy.
He announced in 2005 that Turkmenistan would downgrade its links with the Commonwealth of Independent States. He furthermore promised free and fair elections by 2010 in a move that surprised many Western observers.
In 2006 the European Commission and the international trade committee of the European Parliament voted to grant Turkmenistan "most favored nation" trading status with the European Union, widely seen as motivated by interest in natural gas, after Niyazov announced he would enter a "human rights dialogue" with the EU.[12]
Presidential decrees
As President-for-Life of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov issued many controversial and unusual decrees:
★ In April 2001, ballet and opera were banned after Niyazov felt they were "unnecessary ... not a part of Turkmen culture".[13]
★ In 2004 it was forbidden for young men to grow long hair or beards.13
★ In March 2004, 15,000 public health workers were dismissed including nurses, midwives, school health visitors and orderlies and replaced with military conscripts.[14]
★ In April 2004 the youth of Turkmenistan were encouraged to chew on bones to preserve their teeth rather than be fitted with gold tooth caps or gold teeth.[15]
★ In April 2004 it was ordered that an ice palace be constructed near the capital.[16] (In December 2006 an article in the UK's Sunday Times revealed the 'ice palace' to be an ornate ice skating rink.[17])
★ In 2004 all licensed drivers were required to pass a morality test.[18]
★ In 2004 it was prohibited for news readers to wear make-up[19]
★ In February 2005 all hospitals outside Aşgabat were ordered shut, with the reasoning that the sick should come to the capital for treatment. All rural libraries were ordered closed as well, citing ordinary Turkmen do not read books.[20]
★ In November 2005 physicians were ordered to swear an oath to the President, replacing the Hippocratic Oath.[21]
★ In December 2005 video games were banned as being too violent for young Turkmen to play.
★ In January 2006 one-third of the country's elderly had their pensions discontinued, while another 200,000 had theirs reduced. Pensions received during the prior two years were ordered paid back to the state.[22] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan strongly denied allegations that the cut in pensions resulted in the deaths of many elderly Turkmen, accusing foreign media outlets of spreading "deliberately perverted" information on the issue.[23]
★
★ (''Note: On March 19, 2007 Turkmenistan's new president Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow has reversed a decision of his predecessor by restoring pensions to more than 100,000 elderly citizens..[24]'')
★ In September 2006 Turkmen teachers who failed to publish praise of the Turkmen leader would remain at a lower payscale or be sacked.[25]
★ In October 2006 Turkmenistan claimed to have set free 10,056 prisoners, including 253 foreign nationals from 11 countries on the 'Night of Omnipotence'. Niyazov said, "Let this humane act on the part of the state serve strengthening truly moral values of the Turkmen society. Let the entire world know that there has never been a place for evil and violence on the blessed Turkmen soil."[26]
★ The Turkmen words for bread and the month of April were changed to the name of his late mother, Gurbansoltanedzhe. [27]
★ Car radios, lip-synching, and recorded music are all prohibited.[28]
★ Video monitors are required in all public places.
★ Dogs are restricted from the capital city due to unappealing odour.[29]
New names for months and days
All the new names Niyazov introduced refer to the president, national heroes or important historical incidents.
| Month | New Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| January | Türkmenbaşy | named in honour of the ''Türkmenbaşy''; also, this month is the beginning (Turkmen ''baş'') of the year |
| February | Baýdak | named in honour of the flag of Turkmenistan, as in this month it was created for the independent Turkmenistan |
| March | Nowruz | named after the New Year's Day festival ''(Nowruz)'', which is celebrated in March |
| April | Gurbansoltan | named in honour of Niyazov's mother, as the month in which everything grows and blooms should be dedicated to the mothers |
| May | Magtymguly | named in honour of the Turkmen People's Writer, who is honoured on 18th and 19th of May |
| June | Oguz | according to Turkmen tradition, all Turkmens are descended from the legendary Oguz Khan |
| July | Gorkut | Gorkut, apart from Oguz Khan, is the second great historical person of the Turkmens |
| August | Alp Arslan | Alp Arslan is remembered as a Turkmen national hero. In August of 1071 he defeated the army of the Byzantine Empire in the Battle of Manzikert and introduced the Turkmen language |
| September | Ruhnama | named in honour of the book written by Niyazov, which he finished writing on September 19th, 2001 |
| October | Garaşsyzlyk | named in honour of independence (Turkmen ''Garaşsyzlyk''), which Turkmenistan obtained on October 27th, 1991 |
| November | Sanjar | Sultan Sanjar continued the work of Alp Arslan, and led the Seljuqs to their last full flowering |
| December | Bitaraplyk | named in honour of neutrality (Turkmen ''Bitaraplyk''), which was announced to the United Nations General Assembly on December 12th, 1995 |
The days of the week are composed of the word ''Gün'' (Eng. ''day'') plus the word of the respective meaning. Friday remained unchanged.
| Day | New Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Baş Gün | the ''Day of the Beginning'', beginning of the week |
| Tuesday | Ýaş Gün | the ''Young Day'' |
| Wednesday | Hoş Gün | the ''Good Day'' |
| Thursday | Sogap Gün | the ''Blessed Day'' |
| Friday | Anna | (the Turkmen word for Friday) |
| Saturday | Ruh Gün | the ''Day of the Mind''; at this day people should read the Ruhnama |
| Sunday | Dynç Gün | the ''Day of Recovery'' |
Death
On December 21 2006, Turkmen state television announced that President Niyazov had died of sudden cardiac arrest.[30][31] Niyazov had been taking medication for an unidentified cardiac condition. The Turkmen Embassy in Moscow later confirmed this report.
According to the Constitution of Turkmenistan, Öwezgeldi Ataýew, Chairman of the Parliament, would assume the presidency. Deputy Prime Minister Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow was named as head of the commission organizing the state funeral. Due to the imprisonment of Öwezgeldi Ataýew who, under the Constitution is first in line to succeed the presidency, Berdimuhammedow was named as acting president. Berdimuhammedow and the Halk Maslahaty announced on December 26 that the next presidential elections would be held on February 11, 2007.[32]
''The New York Times'' reported that Niyazov's son, Murat, has been in contention for the presidency after the constitution was amended to allow Turkmen of mixed ethnic backgrounds to qualify for the post.
The circumstances of Niyazov's passing has been surrounded by some media speculation, including that Niyazov had been the victim of poisoning.[33] Some Turkmen opposition sources also claim that Niyazov died several days before the officially announced date of December 21.[34]
Burial
Niyazov was buried on December 24 at his home village of Gypjak approximately 10 kilometres from the capital. Prior to being moved to the village, Niyazov's body lay in state in an open coffin in the presidential palace. Many mourners, including foreign delegations, passed by the coffin in a three hour period.[35] Tang Jiaxuan, the Chinese State Councilor and special envoy of President Hu Jintao to Turkmenistan[36], Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Richard Boucher,[37] Iranian Vice President Parviz Davoudi, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Tajik President Emomali Rahmonov, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli, Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, and Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan attended the funeral.[38]
Miscellaneous
★ In October 2005, 100,000 copies of ''Mahribanlarym'', a new book by Niyazov, were printed. The book included his lyrical poetry and short stories.[39]
★ Niyazov ordered the building of a new university to be named after Ruhnama. The university was scheduled to be built in 2010.[40]
See also
★ Absurdistan
References and notes
1.
Наследником Туркменбаши может стать следователь московской прокуратуры
2. Turkmenistan Fact Sheet, Government & Politics-President
3.
Turkmenistan's 'iron ruler' dies
4. Harvard Independent, March 1, 2007
5. Turkmenbashi Everywhere
6. IFLA Blasts Turkmenistan Library Closings and Rights Violations
7. The Turkmen Economy: Challenges and Opportunities Badykova, Najia
8. Assassination Attempt A Response To Niyazov’s Authoritarian Policies
9. Short resume maintained by Reporters Sans Frontières
10.
Turkmenistan. Struggling For News In Turkmenistan Clarke, Michael
11. The World Factbook entry for Turkmenistan information retrieved on August 30 2006
12. Double Standard for Dictators
13. Young Turkmen face beard ban
14. Troops to replace Turkmen medics
15. Turkmen president urges youth to avoid gold teeth
16. Dictator orders ice palace to be built in central Asian desert
17. In the realm of fantasy
18.
Absolute Power Makes You Absolutely Crazy Romanoff, Lance Jonn
19. Turkmenistan Project Weekly News Brief, August 13-19, 2004
20. President of Turkmenistan closes hospitals, libraries and nature reserves
21.
Turkmen Doctors Pledge Allegiance To Niyazov
22.
Туркменбаши решил истребить всех стариков
23. ...Russian media outlets disseminate "deliberately perverted" information on republic's pension maintenance
24. Turkmen leader restores pensions
25. Praise Turkmen leader or else, teachers are told
26. Turkmenistan to set free 10056 prisoners...
27.
“Tensions Rising as Turkmenistan Stops Pension Payments”
28.
Turkmenistan bans recorded music
29.
In the realm of fantasy
30. Turkmenistan's 'iron ruler' dies
31. President of Turkmenistan dies at 66
32.
Two candidates named for Turkmen presidency
33. Saparmurat Niyazov 's werelds gekste dictator
34. Turkmenbashi died several days ago
35. Turkmen leader's funeral begins
36. Chinese envoy attends funeral of Turkmenistan's late president
37. Late President of Turkmenistan laid to rest
38. First VP leaves Turkmenistan
39. Turkmenistan Project Weekly news brief, October 14-20, 2005
40. New Turkmen University Named After Leader’s Book
Further reading
★ Theroux, Paul. "The Golden Man: Saparmurat Niyazov's Reign of Insanity". ''The New Yorker'', 28 May 2007, pp. 54-65.
External links
★ Turkmenistan News/ Archiv Saparmurat Niyazov's (in English)
★ Un-official webpage (in English)
★ Un-official webpage (in English)
★ Saparmurat Niyazov's Article for UN Chronicle
★ Saparmurat Niyazov's Article towards Opening of UN Millenium Summit
★ Saparmurat Niyazov on Elections, Turkmen Democracy and Consolidation of Authority in Turkmenistan
★ Turkmenistan's Republican Opposition Party in Exile
★ Global Witness Report
★ Ruhnama - Book by Turkmenbashy (online in English, Russian, Turkish, Turkmen)
★ The Ruhnama of Saparmyrat Turkmenbashy the Great
★ Opposition webpage (partly in English)
★ Transcript of 2004 profile on news program 60 Minutes
★ BBC News Country Profile of Turkmenistan with information and articles about Saparmurat Niyazov
★ ''PARADE'' Magazine's 2006 Annual List Of The World’s 10 Worst Dictators
★ Double Standards for Dictators, ''The Washington Post'', April 14 2006
★ Show Trials Like Stalin's in Turkmenistan, ''The New York Times'', January 27 2003
★ President Nyazov's "House of Free Creativity" called a crude provocation - IFEX
★ Turkmen Leader To Have Second Eye Operation
Monuments to Niyazov
★ A gold statue of Niyazov
★ A gold bust of Niyazov
★ Niyazov revolves to face the sun
★ Another gold statue of Niyazov
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