P/02/186 Brussels, 10 December 2002

15411/02 (Presse 394)

Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union concerning the situation in Turkmenistan

The European Union regrets the violence committed during the reported assassination attempt against President Niyazov on November 25 in Ashgabat and offers its sympathy to the innocent victims.

While the EU understands the desire of the Turkmen Government to investigate thoroughly the reported attack and bring those guilty to justice, it is concerned by the manner in which the investigation is being conducted. There are numerous reports of wide scale arrests, including the arrest or detention of entire families of those individuals accused of participating in the reported attack.

The EU calls upon the Turkmen authorities to exercise restraint and to conduct their investigations in full compliance with the Constitution of Turkmenistan and with Turkmenistan's obligations under international law. These include the need to ensure that all those arrested have access to legal counsel, that none suffer torture or ill treatment, and that none are held for protracted periods without charge.

The EU urges the Turkmen Government to ignore calls from some domestic quarters for a re-introduction of the death penalty. This would be a serious retrograde step, with negative repercussions on Turkmenistan's international standing.

The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the European Union, the associated countries Cyprus and Malta, and the EFTA countries, members of the European Economic Area align themselves with this declaration.