Kuliev, Avdi

Gender: Male.

State of concern: Turkmenistan.

Who, Why and How exiled:

Kuliev was Turkmenistan’s foreign minister after the country’s independence upon the collapse of the Soviet Union (RFERL, 2007).

In 1992, Kuliev resigned after he and Niyazov disagreed about the course the country should take (RFERL, 2007). He went to Moscow and dedicated himself to taking part in the exiled opposition (RFERL, 2007). In 2002, several different opposition groups decided to form the United Turkmen Opposition, and Kuliev served as the leader of this movement (RFERL, 2007). He later moved from Russia to Norway (RFERL, 2007).

Category of exile: 1, 2. (Definitions here.)

Alleged affiliation: Former insider, United Turkmen Opposition.

Which stages experienced: Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3. (Definitions here.)

Date of most serious incident: 1999.

Violence experienced: Unknown.

Stage 1 details (accusations/ charges/ Interpol notice/ extradition requests):

In the late 1990s, the Turkmen authorities opened a criminal case against the exiled Kuliev, based on several articles of the criminal code (RFERL, 2007).

In addition, Amnesty International (2003) reported that Kuliev’s family members have “faced harassment and intimidation by the authorities for many years”. Many of Kuliev’s relatives were dismissed from their jobs and reportedly prevented from opening their own businesses (Amnesty International, 2003).

Stage 2 details (arrest/ detention/ extradition):

On the eve of Nizayov’s visit to the United States in 1998, Kuliev travelled to Turkmenistan despite the criminal case initiated against him (RFERL, 2007). Turkmen police detained Kuliev in Ashgabat when he arrived (Human Rights Watch, 1999).

After pressure from the Clinton administration and other sources, the Turkmen authorities released Kuliev requiring him to return to Moscow (Human Rights Watch, 1999).

International arrest warrant: Unknown.

Countries of transit, asylum and/or residence: Norway, Russia.

Current status:

Kuliev died in 2007, aged 71 (RFERL, 2007).

Acquired citizenship: Russia.

Press sources:

Amnesty International. (2003). Turkmenistan: A Summary of Amnesty International's Concerns. Available: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/eur61/009/2003/en/. Last accessed 13th March 2018.

Human Rights Watch. (1999). Turkmenistan: Human Rights Developments. Available: http://pantheon.hrw.org/legacy/worldreport99/europe/turkmenistan.html. Last accessed 13th March 2018.

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty (RFERL). (2007). Turkmenistan: Exiled Opposition Leader Kuliev Dies at 71. Available: https://www.rferl.org/a/1075789.html. Last accessed 13th March 2018.