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Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov (Template:IPA2) (Template:Lang-tk) (born February 19 1940 in Aşgabat, Turkmen SSR – died December 21 2006) ruled Turkmenistan as the head of state from 1985 to his death in 2006. He served as the First Secretary of the Turkmen Communist Party from 1985 until 1991, after which he served as the first President of Turkmenistan.

Niyazov and Turkmen media referred to him using the title "His Excellency Saparmurat Niyazov Türkmenbaşy, President of Turkmenistan and Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers". His title Türkmenbaşy, or Turkmenbashi, meaning Leader of all Ethnic Turkmens referred to his position as the founder and president of the Association of Turkmens of the World.

Foreign media criticized him as one of the world's most authoritarian and repressive dictators, highlighting his reputation of imposing his personal eccentricities upon the country. Global Witness, a London-based human rights organization, reported that money under Niyazov's control and held overseas may be in excess of US$3 billion, of which $2 billion is supposedly situated in the Foreign Exchange Reserve Fund at Deutsche Bank in Germany.

Background

Politics of Turkmenistan
Constitution People's Council Chairperson: Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow President Serdar Berdimuhamedow Cabinet Assembly Speaker: Dünýägözel Gulmanowa State Security Council Political parties Agrarian Party Democratic Party Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Recent elections Presidential: 2012 2017 2022 Parliamentary: 2018 2021 2023 Administrative divisions Region Districts Cities Foreign relations Visa policy Human rights Ruhnama
Other countries
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Niyazov's father died fighting against Nazi Germany in World War II. The other members of his family were killed in a massive earthquake that leveled Aşgabat in 1948. He grew up in a Soviet orphanage before the state put him in the custody of a distant relative.

In 1962 Niyazov joined the Communist Party. He quickly rose through the ranks, becoming head of the Communist Party of the Turkmen SSR in 1985. He gained this post after Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev removed the previous leader, Muhammad Gapusov, following a cotton-related scandal.

Niyazov and his Russian-Jewish wife Muza had a son and a daughter, Murat and Irina.

Personality cult

I admit it, there are too many portraits, pictures and monuments. I don't find any pleasure in it, but the people demand it because of their mentality.

— Saparmurat Niyazov

Niyazov ruled as an authoritarian leader, notorious in the Western world for the personality cult he established around himself in Turkmenistan. Niyazov, at the beginning of his rule, referred to Turkmenistan as a nation devoid of a national identity. He renamed the town of Krasnovodsk, on the Caspian Sea, Türkmenbaşy, in addition to renaming several schools, airports and even a meteorite after himself and his immediate family. He even named the months, and days of the week after his family; January becoming Turkmenbashi. Niyazov's portrait is on Manat banknotes and large portraits of the President hang all over the country, especially on major public buildings and avenues. Statues of himself and his mother are located throughout Turkmenistan, including one in the Karakum Desert as well as a gold-plated statue atop Aşgabat's largest building, the Neutrality Arch, that rotates so it will always face into the sun and shine light onto the capital city. Niyazov commissioned a palace in Aşgabat commemorating his rule. The government has given him the hero of Turkmenistan award five times. Niyazov said he opposed having his "pictures and statues in the streets, but it's what the people want."

Erika Dailey, a specialist for the Open Society Institute, said the education system under Niyazov indoctrinated and brainwashed young Turkmen through the Ruhnama, a national epic written by Niyazov. In 2004, the dictator ordered the closure of all rural libraries on the grounds that he thought that village Turkmen do not read. The Ruhnama, a mixture of revisionist history and moral guidelines, was intended as the "spiritual guidance of the nation" and the basis of the nation's arts and literature. With Soviet-era textbooks banned without being replaced by new publications, libraries are left with little more than Niyazov's works.

In Niyazov's home village of Kipchak, a complex has been built to the memory of his mother, including a mosque (est. at US$100 million) conceived as a symbol of the rebirth of the Turkmen people. The walls of this edifice display precepts from the Ruhnama along with Qur'an suras. The Ruhnama was introduced to Turkmen culture in a gradual but eventually pervasive way.

Niyazov first placed copies in the nation's schools and libraries but eventually went as far as to make an exam on its teachings an element of the driving test.

In older pictures, Niyazov had white hair; at the time of his death, it was black.

Domestic policy

Economy

Turkmenistan has the second largest reserves in the gas-rich former Soviet Union, generating high revenue for the state. The government has used central planning, such as state control of production and procurement, direct bank credits with low interest rates, exchange rate restrictions, and price controls, since it existed as a Republic within the U.S.S.R.

In 1991 Niyazov's government put forth a decree granting "the free use of water, gas and electricity by the people of Turkmenistan." In reality, the population receives the lowest possible minimum wage and then the state distributes free water, gas and electricity.

Culture

President Niyazov put the revival of Turkmen culture as one of the top priorities in Turkmenistan's development. He introduced a new Turkmen alphabet based on the Latin alphabet to replace Cyrillic. The Turkmen language is the state language. All names of months in Turkmenistan were changed from Roman to Turkmen representing famous Turkmen heroes, poets and state leaders.

Security

After Uzbek President Islom Karimov unsuccessfully tried to have Niyazov assassinated on November 25 2002, the Turkmen government arrested suspected conspirators and members of their families. Critics claim the government staged the attempt in order to crack down on mounting domestic and foreign political opposition.

The summer of 2004 saw a leaflet campaign in the capital, Aşgabat, calling for the overthrow and trial of Niyazov. The authorities were unable to stop the campaign and the President responded by firing his Interior Minister and director of the police academy on national television. He accused the minister of incompetence and declared: "I cannot say that you had any great merits or did much to combat crime."

In May 2000, the government revoked all Internet licenses except for the state-owned Turkmen Telecom and in June 2001 shut down all Internet cafés. By 2005 there were 36,000 Internet users, representing 0.7% of the population.

Foreign policy

Niyazov promoted a policy of neutrality in foreign affairs, refraining from seeking membership in NATO or GUUAM and almost ignoring the CSTO. Turkmenistan has not participated in any United Nations peacekeeping missions.

Niyazov met with former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien to discuss an oil contract in Turkmenistan for a Canadian corporation in late 2004. In March 2005 news of this meeting caused an uproar amongst opposition circles in Canada, who claimed the affair could damage Chrétien's legacy.

Niyazov announced in 2005 that Turkmenistan would downgrade its links with the Commonwealth of Independent States. He furthermore promised free and fair elections by 2010 in a move that surprised many Western observers.

In 2006, the European Commission and the international trade committee of the European Parliament voted to grant Turkmenistan "most favored nation" trading status with the European Union, widely seen as motivated by interest in natural gas, after Niyazov announced he would enter a "human rights dialogue" with the EU.

Presidential decrees

As President-for-Life of Turkmenistan, he had issued many controversial decrees, such as:

• In April 2001 Niyzov banned ballet and opera, describing them as "Not a part of Turkmen culture"
• In 2004 he forbade young men to grow long hair or beards
• In March 2004 he dismissed 15,000 public health workers in wide-ranging cuts that particularly affected nurses, midwives, school health visitors and orderlies
• In April 2004 he urged young people not to get gold tooth caps or gold teeth, suggesting instead that they chew on bones to preserve their teeth
• In April 2004 he ordered the construction of an ice palace near the capital.
• In 2004 he insisted that all licensed drivers pass a morality test.
• In 2004 he banned news readers from wearing make-up
• In February 2005 he ordered the closure of all hospitals outside Aşgabat, saying that if people were ill, they could come to the capital. He also ordered the closure of all rural libraries of Turkmenistan, saying that ordinary Turkmen do not read books.
• In November 2005 he ordered physicians to swear an oath to the President, replacing the Hippocratic Oath
• In December 2005 he banned video games, stating that they were too violent for young Turkmen to play
• In January 2006 he ordered an end to paying pensions to one-third of the country's elderly people, cutting pensions to another 200,000, and ordering to pay the pensions received in the past two years back to the state. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan strongly denied allegations that the cut in pensions resulted in the deaths of many elderly Turkmen, accusing foreign media outlets of spreading "deliberately perverted" information on the issue.
• In September 2006 he issued a new pay scale for Turkmen teachers, effective as of October 2006.
• In October 2006 the Niyazov administration said it released 10,056 prisoners, including 253 foreign nationals from 11 countries on the Night of Omnipotence. Niyazov said, "Let this humane act on the part of the state serve strengthening truly moral values of the Turkmen society. Let the entire world know that there has never been a place for evil and violence on the blessed Turkmen soil."
• The Turkmen leader changed the Turkmen word for bread, and name of the month of April, to that of his late mother.
• Car radios were banned.
• Video monitors were required in all public places.
• Niyazov never liked dogs so dogs were banned from the capital.

Death

On December 21 2006, Turkmen state television announced that President Niyazov had died of sudden cardiac arrest. It was known that Niyazov had been taking medication for an unidentified cardiac condition. The Turkmen Embassy in Moscow later confirmed this report. According to the Constitution of Turkmenistan, Ovezgeldy Atayev, Chairman of the Parliament, would assume the presidency. Deputy Prime Minister Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow was named head the commission to organize the state funeral and temporary president, because of the imprisoning of Ovezgeldy Ataev. It is speculated that President Niyazov died of poisoning. On the same day, Acting President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow said the date for the next presidential election would be announced on 26 December 2006. He also said these elections would be democratic.

Some Turkmen opposition sources claim that Saparmurat Niyazov died several days before December 21.

The New York Times reported that his son, Murat Niyazov, has been in contention for the presidency since Niyazov-senior ammended the constitution to allow non-pure ethnic Turkmen to qualify for the presidency.

Miscellaneous

• In October 2005, 100,000 copies of a new book by Niyazov were printed. The book included his lyrical poetry and short stories.
• Niyazov ordered the building of a new university to be named after Ruhnama. The university was scheduled to be built in 2010.
• All Turkmen people knew jokes about Türkmenbaşy, even though they were forbidden. One of the most sarcastic pictures of Türkmenbaşy is designed by Aleksandr Abramovic Bejderman.

References and notes

1. "Наследником Туркменбаши может стать следователь московской прокуратуры" (in Russian). Komsomolskaya Pravda. 2006-12-22. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
2. Turkmenbashi.org.
3. http://www.globalwitness.org/reports/index.php?section=oil
4. ^ C. J. Chivers (2006-12-22). "Intrigue Follows Death of a President for Life". New York Times. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
5. "Turkmenistan's 'iron ruler' dies". BBC. 2006-12-21.
6. Associated Press, Saparmurat Niyazov, Turkmen Leader, Dies at 66, The New York Times, December 21 2006
7. Turkmenbashi Everywhere - CBS News
8. "IFLA Blasts Turkmenistan Library Closings and Rights Violations". American Library Association. 2005-5-6. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
9. Turkmenistan Workshop
10. His Excellency Saparmurat Niyazov "Turkmenbashi" The official Website
11. Turkmenistan Workshop
12. http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/rights/articles/eav112502.shtml
13. Short resume maintained by Reporters Sans Frontières
14. "** TURKMENISTAN. STRUGGLING FOR NEWS IN TURKMENISTAN, Michael Clarke". DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-014. January 24, 2003.
15. The World Factbook entry for Turkmenistan information retrieved on August 30 2006
16. "Double Standard for Dictators". WashingtonPost.com. 2004-04-14. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
17. ^ Whitlock, Monica (2004-02-25). "Young Turkmen face beard ban". BBC News. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
18. Whitlock, Monica (2004-03-01). "Troops to replace Turkmen medics". BBC News. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
19. Burke, Justin (2004-04-07). "Turkmen president urges youth to avoid gold teeth". EurasiaNet.org. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
20. Osborn, Andrew (2004-08-15). "Dictator orders ice palace to be built in central Asian desert". The Independent on Sunday. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
21. Romanoff, Lance Jonn (2005-08-18). "Absolute Power Makes You Absolutely Crazy". Ljonn.com. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
22. "Turkmenistan Project Weekly News Brief, August 13-19, 2004". EurasiaNet.org. 2004-06-19. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
23. Morgan, David (Translator) (2005-02-14). "President of Turkmenistan closes hospitals, libraries and nature reserves". Prima-News. Retrieved 2006-12-22. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
24. "Turkmen Doctors Pledge Allegiance To Niyazov". Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty (RFERL). 2005-11-15. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
25. "Туркменбаши решил истребить всех стариков". NEWSru.com (in Russian). 2006-02-03. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
26. "...Russian media outlets disseminate "deliberately perverted" information on republic's pension maintenance". Turkmenistan.ru. 2006-04-02. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
27. Praise Turkmen leader or else, teachers are told - Telegraph (UK)
28. "Turkmenistan to set free 10056 prisoners..." Turkmenistan.ru. 2006-10-17. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
29. ""Tensions Rising as Turkmenistan Stops Pension Payments"". Taipei Times. 2006-02-05. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
30. ^ "Turkmenistan bans recorded music". BBC News. 2005-08-23. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
31. "In the realm of fantasy". The Sunday Times Online. 2006-12-17. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
32. Turkmenistan leader dies aged 66 - BBC News
33. President of Turkmenistan dies at 66 - breakingnews.ie
34. "Saparmurat Niyazov 's werelds gekste dictator" (in Dutch). Het Nieuwsblad. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
35. "Turkmenistan prepares for new presidential election". Pravda. 2006-12-22. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
36. Turkmenbashi dies several days ago (in Russian)

External links

• Official webpage (in English)
• Un-official webpage (in English)
• Saparmurat Niyazov's Article for UN Chronicle
• Saparmurat Niyazov's Article towards Opening of UN Millenium Summit
• Saparmurat Niyazov on Elections, Turkmen Democracy and Consolidation of Authority in Turkmenistan
• Turkmenistan's Republican Opposition Party in Exile
• Global Witness Report
• Ruhnama - Book by Turkmenbashy (online in English, Russian, Turkish, Turkmen)
• Opposition webpage (partly in English)
• Transcript of 2004 profile on news program 60 Minutes
• BBC News Country Profile of Turkmenistan with information and articles about Saparmurat Niyazov
• PARADE Magazine's 2006 Annual List Of The World’s 10 Worst Dictators
• Double Standards for Dictators, The Washington Post, April 14 2006
• Show Trials Like Stalin's in Turkmenistan, The New York Times January 27 2003
• President Nyazov's "House of Free Creativity" called a crude provocation - IFEX
• Turkmen Leader To Have Second Eye Operation

Monuments to Niyazov

• A gold statue of Niyazov
• A gold bust of Niyazov
• Niyazov revolves to face the sun
• Another gold statue of Niyazov

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• Current events
• Deaths from cardiovascular disease
• Government of Turkmenistan
• Soviet politicians
• Turkmen politicians
• 1940 births
• 2006 deaths