Cult of Personality in Turkmenistan

Cults of personality are some of the most notable features of any dictatorship. From the ubiquitous photos of Joseph Stalin in the USSR to the literal deificationof North Korea’s leaders, cults of personality have served to give dictators false legitimacy without the need for democratic elections. Vladimir Putin, for example, is known forshirtless photographsdepicting him engaging in what he deems to be “macho” activities, such as hunting, fishing, and ice swimming. Meanwhile, in Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro’s regime promotes the continuation of the cult of personality of the country’s late dictator Hugo Chávez byreferringto his death as a “transition to immortality,”building altarsin his name, and even modifyingthe Lord’s Prayer to worship Chávez. Dictatorships like Russia and Venezuela rely on these cults of personality to avoid the need of having the genuine support of their people. After all, if you are the father of the nation, or a literal god, then you don’t need free and fair elections to prove your right to rule.

Among the most extreme cults of personality in the world is that of Turkmenistan’s Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, a former dentist and health minister who has ruled over the Central Asian country since 2007. He is well known for the videos of his absurdities which occasionally go viral. In 2017, Berdymukhammedov was mocked as the “Turkmenator” when avideoemerged of him strutting his uniform and testing guns at a shooting range while military officials diligently applauded. Other videos — all created by state-owned propaganda channels — show himfishing,lifting, weights,cycling, rapping,and DJing parties.

In addition to his videos, Berdymukhammedov also seems to have a particular sense of aesthetics. For instance, he has banned black cars from the capital, Ashgabat, andorderedevery new building to be built with white marble simply because he considers the color black unlucky. In 2014, Berdymukhammedov honored himselfwith a huge gold statue of himself atop a horse, rising above the capital city. He also commissioned a giant golden statue of hisfavorite breedof dog,wrote a bookabout his favorite breed of horse, and, most recently, forcedevery male government official and manager of a major company to shave their head and wear a skullcap in mourning for his deceased father.

Turkmenistan is one of the most closed and isolated countries in the world, but while Berdymukhammedov’s antics occasionally make international news and get mocked by American comedians likeTrevor NoahandJohn Oliver, few people know or care that the human rights situation in Turkmenistan has precipitously deteriorated in recent years. Turkmenistan is a country ruled by a fully authoritarian regime, with no free press, no independent judiciary, no NGOs, no freedom of movement, and no political opposition of any kind. Freedom Housereportsthat “political rights and civil liberties are almost completely denied in practice.” Turkmenistandoes not tolerateany kind of political opposition,threatensandharassesthe relatives of dissidents abroad, and even arrestsand torturesindividuals for exercising their right to freedom of association. In March, Berdymukhammedov wonan election with 100% of the vote with the government-controlled mediadeclaringthat the election result was “clear evidence of Turkmenistan’s democratic progress and the triumph of decisive reforms carried out by our national leader.”

The viral videos serve their propaganda purpose by hiding the more sinister effects of the cult of personality. The government in Turkmenistan is so focused on maintaining its pristine image that it fails todevote attention to the suffering of its people. Government officials are selected for their loyalty, not their competence, while golden statues and marble buildings replace investments in public infrastructure and poverty relief. Turkmenistan is currently facing a major economic crisis, partly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which the governmentdenied the existenceof, and partly as a result of years of government mismanagement. Prices of essentials like flour and watercontinue to rise, and the food shortage is so dire that many towns and cities have resorted torationing essentials, while people who look homeless or disheveled arekidnappedfrom the streets and forced to work on state farms. However, in April, instead of responding with relief and reform, the government denied the crisis andbanned linesoutside stores because they were embarrassing Berdymukhammedov. Additionally, the government alsodeclaredan “Epoch of Might and Happiness” in Turkmenistan, as if slogans could distract from the poverty and suffering.

Ultimately, like in any dictatorship, the goal of Berdymukhammedov’s cult of personality is to maintain power and satisfy the former dentist’s craving for acceptance. He must maintain the illusion of peace, prosperity, and popularity if he wants toremain “protector” of Turkmenistan — andpass that titleonto his descendents.

Despite their absurdity, the viral videos give Berdymukhammedov a popular persona, focusing international attention on dog festivals and horse breeding. However, they also obscure and whitewash the regime’s sinister crackdown on human rights and its severe economic mismanagement. Laughter should not come at such a steep price.

Alexander Sikorski (@AKSikorski) is a Program and Policy Fellow at the Human Rights Foundation.

Illustration by Mariana Bernardez (@mbgrafiks)

To learn more about the human rights situation in Turkmenistan, read HRF’sUniversal Periodic Review Submission of Turkmenistan, our legal petition to the United Nations (UN) Working Group on Arbitrary Detentionon behalf of 18 Turkmen who were arbitrarily imprisoned and torturedfor peacefully exercising their right to freedom of association, and our open letterto UN Secretary-General António Guterres in advance of his 2017 meeting with Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov.

This article is part of a series of blog posts about authoritarian regimes. Read our previous blog posts about repression in Saudi Arabia,Viktor Orban’s Hungary,the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, and internet shutdowns in dictatorships.