Authorities in the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat, have begun removing benches from the courtyards of apartment buildings, where neighbors get together to socialize. No official explanation has been given, but a municipal worker said it was to prevent people from gathering in large groups.
Authorities in Turkmenistan's Balkan Province have imposed an unofficial nighttime curfew, which bars locals from leaving home after 9 p.m. Officials say the measure is aimed at "maintaining peace and quiet."
Female students in western Turkmenistan are being forced to take virginity tests to check their “morality” and prevent teen pregnancies. Those who “fail” the controversial examination are being reported to security services.
Officials in western Turkmenistan have ordered locals to play ex-President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov's songs at their wedding receptions and to banish foreign music from the playlists.