In the Balkan velayat of Turkmenistan, the authorities are forcibly sending some citizens to pick cotton. This was reported by Radio Azaltyk (a subdivision of Radio Liberty in Turkmenistan, included by the Ministry of Justice in the register of organizations performing the functions of a foreign agent in Russia ).
According to the source, police officers call workers from other regions in search of earnings to the police station, as well as registered people suffering from alcohol addiction, and force them to go to the fields. In addition, prostitutes are involved in the forced cotton harvest.
“The police qualify this as 'corrective labor' and say it is part of the punishment,” an informed source told the publication. It is noted that the Balkan velayat, within the framework of the state plan, delivers less cotton than other regions.
On August 18, it was reported that state employees and the military were forcibly sent to the cotton fields. Later they were joined by teachers and high school students, as well as alimony debtors.
The use of forced labor in Turkmenistan has been criticized by human rights organizations. According to the website of the Responsible Sourcing Network, that is, the “Network of bona fide suppliers”, by August 10, 2021, 138 global brands joined the international campaign, signing a pledge not to use Turkmen cotton in the production of goods.
