Devlet Bayhan

Affiliated media: Chronicles of Turkmenistan, YouTube channel "Turkmenim" , Journalist, Blogger

Incident date: April 1, 2021

Attack type:

• Pressure on a media worker via judicial and/or economic pressure on relatives and loved ones

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: Committee to Protect Journalists

Location: Turkmenistan, Ashgabat

Additional information:

Between March and May 2021, the Ministry of National Security officers repeatedly intimidated and threatened the relatives of Rozybai Jumamuradov, a reporter of the independent Vienna-based news website Chronicle of Turkmenistan, and Devlet Bayhan, a journalist who works with the Chronicle of Turkmenistan, according to the media. Bayhan said that since March 24, national security officers have repeatedly called his relatives, threatening to «make their lives hell» if they do not persuade Bayhan to stop his journalistic and opposition activities. In early April, he said, two of his relatives were fired from their jobs in retaliation for the constant criticism the journalist voiced, and officers warned one of his family members, whose son is in the army, that their son might not return alive if Bayhan did not stop his work.