Turkmenistan: Some Turkmen students of American University in Central Asia are discharged
This autumn Turkmen government prohibited Turkmen students of American University in Central Asia (AUCA) to go to Bishkek. The students received official notification from the university secretariat that they all had been discharged from college, Hronika Turkmenistana reports.
Over 150 young students lost hopes to continue education abroad: today, they are afraid to appeal to Turkmen government since they have no legal reasons.
According to AUCA rules, if the student is not involved in school within one academic semester, he is automatically discharged from academic program. Although the semester is not over yet, the university administration decided to inform all Turkmen students in advance.
It has to be mentioned that at the end of July Turkmenistan issued a ban for students, studying abroad, to leave the country. The exception covered only few state schools, having special agreement with Turkmen government. As a result, few thousand Turkmen students, coming home for holidays, got stuck in Turkmenistan.
Later on the government of Turkmenistan partially cancelled some restrictions, but it was not the case with AUCA. American side attempted to help students continue education in other countries, but failed to do so. Hence, the students neither can finish education nor leave anywhere within five years: the last names are put in the black list.
AUCA is famous for its liberal environment in Bishkek. Perhaps, Turkmen students in AUCA bear certain challenge to illiberal Turkmen regime without studying Rukhnama. Moreover, it is also possible that urgent ill will of Turkmen government towards AUCA students is reasoned by the fact that Turkmen students in Bishkek were met by international organizations, promoting freedom of speech and information.
According to Hronika Turkmenistana, perhaps, American diplomats decided «to sacrifice» students of American school for the sake of stable relations with Turkmen government.