Environmental Activist Detained In Turkmenistan

Rights groups say that a Turkmen environmental activist has been detained by the authorities.

The International Helsinki Federation (IHF) and Amnesty International said today that Andrei Zatoka had been detained at the airport in the northern city of Dashoguz.

In a statement, the IHF said Zatoka's arrest was likely "an act of intimidation motivated by his civil-society engagement."

Holly Cartner, the Europe and Central Asia director for Human Rights Watch, denounced the detention as "arbitrary and politically motivated," and expressed concern that Zatoka could be tortured in detention.

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