Editing Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow (section)

===Human rights abuses===
Berdimuhamedow's government has been described by human rights groups as one of the most repressive dictatorships in the world,<ref>[https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2014/country-chapters/turkmenistan World Report 2014: Turkmenistan], Human Rights Watch</ref><ref>[https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2017/populists-and-autocrats-dual-threat-global-democracy Populists and Autocrats: The Dual Threat to Global Democracy], Freedom House</ref> with Berdimuhamedow having near-complete control over the media and public life according to Human Rights Watch.<ref>[https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2017/country-chapters/turkmenistan World Report 2017: Turkmenistan], Human Rights Watch</ref> Infamously, Berdimuhamedow went to great lengths to censor a video clip showing him falling off a horse during a race, to the point of having foreign journalists prevented from leaving the country until authorities were satisfied that they did not possess footage of the incident.<ref>[https://apnews.com/article/d8f5808074f94ef1ae5c3ebfe41b44b1 Turkmen leader's horse fall hidden from nation], ''Associated Press''</ref> Berdimuhamedow has also banned all cars of colours other than white from Turkmenistan's capital of Ashgabat simply because he believes the colour white to be "lucky".<ref>[https://en.hronikatm.com/2018/01/turkmenistans-road-police-detain-vehicles-of-all-colours-except-white/ Turkmenistan's road police detain vehicles of all colours except white]</ref>  

Turkmenistan has a poor record on religious freedom, with Muslims in particular being targeted for prosecution based on their faith. Dozens of Muslims are currently serving prison sentences in Turkmenistan for alleged "religious extremism" due to their religious affiliations, and Muslim citizens are known to have been arrested for "following their faith too closely".<ref name=HRW>[https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2022/country-chapters/turkmenistan World Report 2022: Turkmenistan], Human Rights Watch</ref> Turkmenistan is though to have the highest number of political prisoners of all the former Soviet states,<ref>[https://www.osce.org/odihr/124153?download=true 2014 OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, Working Session 5, Wednesday 24 September 2014: Rule of Law 2]</ref> with hundreds of prisoners being tortured and subjected to enforced disappearances.<ref name=HRW/> 

Turkmenistan also criminalizes homosexuality, which is punishable by up to two years in prison.<ref name=HRW/>