Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
Turkmen journalist Ogulsapar Muradova died in prison in Turkmenistan this week, just three weeks after she was arrested on charges of espionage. Muradova, 58, worked for the U.S.-funded Radio Liberty and specialized in investigative stories on human-rights abuses. Before a 10-minute show trial, Turkmen dictator Saparmurat Niyazov denounced her as a “traitor to the motherland.” Turkmen officials said Muradova, who was in good health before her arrest, died of “natural causes.” But Muradova’s adult children, who identified her at the morgue, said her body had a large head wound and bore signs of torture. U.S. Embassy workers were not allowed to see the body, and the U.S. is demanding an investigation.
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