“Article 20 of the Law provides that the Ombudsman must submit a report on its activities and the situation of human rights to the President and shall also deliver this report to the Mejlis (Parliament). While the SCA notes information from the Ombudsman that the reports are debated in Parliament, Article 20 of the Law is silent in this regard.

The SCA is concerned that the content of the annual report does not identify or make recommendations on the most serious human rights violations taking place in Turkmenistan.

Annual, special and thematic reports serve to highlight key developments in the human rights situation in a country and provide a public account, and therefore public scrutiny, of the effectiveness of an NHRI. The reports also provide a means by which an NHRI can make recommendations to government and monitor respect for human rights by government. The SCA considers it important that the enabling laws of an NHRI establish a process whereby its reports are required to be widely circulated, discussed and considered by the legislature.

The SCA recommends that the Ombudsman ensures that its annual, special and thematic reports publicly address and make actionable recommendations on the most serious human rights issues in Turkmenistan.

The SCA also recommends the Ombudsman to advocate for amendments to its Law to explicitly establish a process whereby its reports are to be widely circulated, discussed and considered by the legislature.

The SCA refers to Paris Principle A.3 and to its General Observation 1.11 on ‘Annual reports of NHRIs’.”