In July 2021, a sudden drop in Tor usage in Turkmenistan called our attention. Tor would come to understand that this marked the beginning of a new era of censorship and restriction in this post-Soviet country. But let's rewind...
The Tor Community has long been defending internet freedom, running relays and providing bridges to combat internet censorship.
Over the years, the Tor Project has called for action to run more bridges, Snowflake proxies, while we've investigated and adapted our anti-censorship strategies, and shared information about online censorship in Turkmenistan.
Modern censorship circumvention systems are generally built around the concept of "collateral damage", where a censor cannot block access without blocking the entire internet or popular online services. However, in Turkmenistan, the censors' behavior has been strikingly different. They have openly blocked vast parts of the internet without concern for the collateral consequences, sparking curiosity: why do Turkmenistan's censors seem unbothered by the collateral damage their actions cause?
Turkmenistan in context
Turkmenistan is ruled by the autocratic Berdimuhamedov family. The country consistently ranks at the bottom of global freedom and transparency indexes. In the 2025 Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Press Freedom Index, Turkmenistan placed 174th out of 180. Freedom House gives the country a 1/100 rating for overall freedom. The capital, Ashgabat - often called the "White Marble City" - is both a showcase of authoritarian extravagance and a place where citizens depends on circumvention tools to bypass censorship.
With an official population of about 6 million citizens, or - according to some estimates - less than 3 million, it is clear that millions left the country over the last decade. Main destinations are countries like Turkey and Russia, but other countries too. To reduce the exodus, the Turkmen government asked Turkey to implement visas for Turkmen citizens (the request was fulfilled).
In Turkmenistan, the corruption is systemic. It's been the focus of several investigative reportings and documentaries, like The Shadow of the Holy Book. Internet penetration remains among the lowest in the world and also one of the slowest internet in the world.
Human rights violations are systematic with forced labour (including child labour) in the cotton fields. Women are an especially vulnerable group with lower salaries, enforced dress code, and informal restrictions like ban on beauty procedures or extreme difficulties in obtaining a driver's license.
A very small number of activists are ready to talk about what is happening in the country. Even if they leave the country, they still face the risk of being sent back to Turkmenistan, like in the case of bloggers Alisher Sahtov and Abdulla Orusov who lived in Turkey and it seems was deported to Turkmenistan this year.
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