Parody Video Mocks Turkmenistan’s Leader as an Action Hero
When the repressive regime exalted its president this week with footage portraying him as a military man of action, an exiled opposition publication spliced in clips of Arnold Schwarzenegger suiting up in the 1985 action
movie "Commando." The parody video struck a nerve online, drawing widespread attention to the president, a former dentist named Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov (pronounced gur-BAHN-goo-lee bair-dee-mukh-ha-MAY-doff).
Thankfully no nukes (H/t @peterfrankopan ) https://t.co/uTZzFwvNE3 He also upheld the repressive policies of his predecessor, with strict restrictions on the freedoms of expression, association
and religion, and reports of forced labor and prisoners being tortured or "disappeared." "Turkmenistan is one of the world’s most repressive countries, with an abysmal human rights record," Human Rights Watch notes on its website.
At first, it appeared that Mr. Berdymukhammedov might move in a different direction after he began disassembling the personality cult built around the eccentric Mr. Niyazov, who had named days of the week after family members
and constructed a gold statue of himself that rotated to face the sun.
It then cuts back to Mr. Berdymukhammedov, decked out in camouflage gear, shooting
and throwing knives at targets to the adoration of a group of uniformed men, including the heads of several law enforcement agencies, according to The Chronicle.
"The government is focusing, instead, on building this great image of the country." Mr. Berdymukhammedov claimed the presidency
in a rigged 2007 election, succeeding the nation’s longtime dictator, Saparmurat Niyazov, who died the year before.
Alexander Cooley said that This is clearly his vanity project, a chance to showcase his leadership in Turkmenistan,
