Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan is a country in Central Asia bordered by Afghanistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and the Caspian Sea. Turkmenistan gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. From 1986 Turkmenistan was ruled by Saparmurat Niyazov who led the one-party system as "President for Life." After Niyazov died in 2006, elections were held and Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov was elected, winning 86% of the vote. Human rights, particularly the association and religious freedoms, are severely limited in Tajikistan. In addition to this, Reports Without Borders listed Tajikistan as having the third most restricted press in the world and, since 2006, a ban on satellite dishes has been in effect, essentially limiting citizen's access to information. While there are several Internet cafes and increasing availability of mobile phones, online communications are strictly controlled by the government. Turkmenistan has extensive reserves of natural resources. The expanded exportation of these resources, particularly natural gas, has helped Turkmenistan achieve the fifth highest growth rate in the world. Turkmenistan has at times cut off gas export to neighboring Iran to increase the rates they are paid for export and currently has drastically reduced gas export to its former main trading partner, Gazprom of Russia, due to a dispute about prices and accident compensation in the aftermath of an April 9 explosion on Turkmenistan's pipeline.