Former Turkmen Political Prisoner Facing Deportation, Possible Torture

Former Turkmen opposition figure Gulgeldy Annaniyazov is in a Kazakh detention center after a failed attempt to flee to Moscow using forged documents. Annaniyazov, who spent nearly five years in jail for his role organizing an antigovernment protest in Ashgabat in 1995, began his journey in August by illegally crossing the Turkmen border into Kazakhstan, and faces certain imprisonment if he returns home. Now human rights groups are trying to convince Kazakh officials not to deport Annaniyazov, saying he risks torture and abuse if sent back to Turkmenistan.

Kazakhstan: Former Turkmen Political Prisoner Facing Deportation, Possible Torture - Radio Free Europe Sep 5 2002 8:55PM ET