Freedom for Eurasia condemns in the strongest possible terms the death and secret burial of Turkmen blogger Didar Amansakhatov, whose grave has now been located by journalists from the Turkmen Service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The discovery confirms credible reports that Mr. Amansakhatov, a 34-year-old TikTok blogger known online as Hitrowskin, died after disappearing in late November 2025 following public criticism of food prices and economic conditions in Turkmenistan.
According to information obtained by journalists, Mr. Amansakhatov was detained by security services amid a broader campaign against online dissent. Reports indicate that he was beaten and tortured, and that his death occurred in custody. The circumstances of his death have not been investigated, no official explanation has been provided, and his family has been denied truth, justice, and accountability. Such conduct amounts to an enforced disappearance followed by death in custody—one of the gravest violations of international human rights law.
Tombstone on the grave of Didar Amansakhatov. Source: Azatlyk Radiosy
Freedom for Eurasia holds the Turkmen authorities fully responsible for Mr. Amansakhatov’s death. His case is not an isolated incident but part of a systematic pattern of repression in which peaceful critics, bloggers, journalists, and activists are silenced through intimidation, arbitrary detention, torture, and, increasingly, lethal violence.
We are equally compelled to address the responsibility of democratic states. For years, Turkmenistan’s abuses have been met with muted responses, justified by “pragmatism,” energy interests, or diplomatic convenience. This silence has had consequences. When authoritarian regimes see that torture and death of critics provoke no meaningful repercussions, repression becomes policy rather than exception.
Freedom for Eurasia therefore calls on democratic governments and international institutions to:
- Publicly condemn the death of Didar Amansakhatov and demand a transparent, independent international investigation into his detention, torture, and death.
- End the policy of willful blindness toward Turkmenistan’s human rights record and place human rights at the center of all bilateral and multilateral engagement.
- Apply targeted sanctions against officials and security bodies credibly implicated in torture, enforced disappearances, and deaths in custody, using Magnitsky-style mechanisms.
- Strengthen protection for Turkmen journalists, bloggers, and activists in exile and ensure asylum systems recognize the extreme risks faced by critics of the Turkmen regime.
The death of Didar Amansakhatov is a stark reminder that silence kills. Democratic states cannot credibly claim to defend human rights while tolerating torture and death for the sake of political or economic expediency. Accountability delayed is accountability denied—and impunity, once entrenched, only claims more lives.
Freedom for Eurasia will continue to document these crimes and to advocate for justice for Mr. Amansakhatov and all victims of repression in Turkmenistan.