Photo: asal.media
In Turkmenistan’s Lebap region, ethnic minorities face discrimination and pressure to “Turkmenize” their names when applying for government jobs. Candidates from minority groups are not considered for positions at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, according to Turkmen.news, citing local sources.
Previously, such practices mainly applied to senior appointments. Now, officials have extended the requirement even to lower-level posts. In the Interior Ministry, non-ethnic Turkmens are reportedly excluded altogether, despite a shortage of recruits. Sources say the directive came directly from Ashgabat.
The policy has spread to schools, where students are forced to alter their names. For example, Uzbek names such as Sardor, Alim, and Shukhrat are changed to Serdar, Alym, and Shokhrat. Senior students across the region report facing this pressure.
In older-generation passports, many members of minority communities choose to register themselves as “Turkmen” to avoid discrimination in the future.
According to official census data, Lebap is second in the country in terms of its Uzbek population and overall ethnic diversity. In Dashoguz region, Uzbeks make up nearly a third of residents, while in Mary region the Baloch community also resides compactly. Yet neither group is allowed to study their native language in schools, not even as an elective.
An unwritten rule in Turkmenistan dictates that government jobs go primarily to ethnic Turkmens. The Ministry of National Security checks candidates’ backgrounds, requiring proof of lineage going back three generations.
Even so, many high-ranking officials have Azerbaijani, Russian, or Uzbek roots. But ethnic Turkmens still have far greater chances of building a government career, Turkmen.news concludes.
