Ogulsapar Muradova

She was arrested on June 18, 2006 with two other activists - her brother Sapardurdy Khadzhiev, an associate of the Turkmen Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, and Annakurban Amanklychev.

On June 19, President Saparmurat Niyazov personally issued a statement on national television condemning Muradova and other arrested activists.

"I don't know why [the detainees] are engaged in such dirty business in Turkmenistan, a peaceful country where justice is ruling and where nobody is disgraced... Let people condemn the traitors.

[3] Muradova died in prison before September 14, 2006 of "natural causes", according to Turkmen officials, but her children are quoted as saying that her body had "marks on the neck" and a "large wound" on the head.

[4] International human rights groups have expressed outrage over her death and called for an independent investigation into the circumstances that led to it.