126 Europe and Central Asia Summary of Amnesty International’s Concerns in the Region, January – June 2007 complaint. For example, Ruslan Tukhbatullin, the brother of Farid Tukhbatullin, who is the director of the nongovernmental organization Turkmenistan Initiative for Human Rights (TIHR) and has lived in exile since 2003, complained to the commission about his dismissal from his job in the army in 2005. Ruslan Tukhbatullin was believed to have been dismissed in order to put pressure on Farid Tukhbatullin. Ruslan Tukhbatullin received a reply from the Ministry of Defence, the very agency that had dismissed him. The Ministry stated that his dismissal had not been a violation of his rights. constitutionally designated successor to the President. Speaker of Parliament allegedly imprisoned for political reasons (update to AI Index: EUR 01/001/2007) 04/001/2007) According to turkmenistan.ru, on 22 December 2006 Ovezgeldy Ataev was dismissed from his post as Speaker of Parliament at an extraordinary session of Parliament. Parliament also agreed that a criminal investigation be opened against him following a request by the Prosecutor General. The Prosecutor General was reported as stating that Ovezgeldy Ataev had "abused [his] office and flagrantly violated constitutional rights of citizens and even [incited] discord between clans". The Prosecutor General stated the latter charge related to Ovezgeldy Ataev’s objection to a marriage between his stepson and a young woman earlier that year. As a result, the young woman reportedly attempted to commit suicide. According to a 27 February report by the news agency Ferghana.ru, Ovezgeldy Ataev was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment by the Supreme Court of Turkmenistan in a closed hearing. According to the TIHR, Ovezgeldy Ataev was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment. There were allegations that Ovezgeldy Ataev was targeted as part of a power struggle following Saparmurad Niyazov’s death. According to the Constitution, the Speaker of Parliament was the Amnesty International The Turkmenistani authorities have often extended punishment to other family members; in this case Ovezgeldy Ataev’s wife may have been similarly targeted. Reportedly, Ovezgeldy Ataev’s wife stood trial on similar accusations. After the trial, she was believed to have been held in the labour camp for women of the town of Dashoguz near the border with Uzbekistan. Environmental activist Andrei Zatoka given suspended sentence and released (update to AI Index: EUR On 17 December 2006 Andrei Zatoka was detained by local police at the airport at his home town of Dashoguz. He had been preparing to fly to Ashgabat and then on to Moscow the following day, to meet with members of the non-governmental International Social and Ecological Union and to spend his holidays with his family in Russia. Reportedly, he was initially arrested for an alleged breach of public order. Subsequently he faced four charges, including unlawful acquisition or possession of weapons or explosives, and unlawful circulation of potent or poisonous substances. The four charges carried a maximum penalty of 19 years’ imprisonment. There were allegations that he was targeted to punish him for his peaceful work as an environmental activist. On 31 January, Dashoguz City Court sentenced Andrei Zatoka to a suspended sentence of three years’ imprisonment and ordered his immediate release. Geldy Kyarizov continues to be imprisoned (update to AI Index: EUR 01/001/2007) After a period of almost five months in which the location of prisoner Geldy Kyarizov was unknown and his family had heard rumours that he may have died in detention, his wife was able to visit him in AI Index: EUR 01/010/2007