Under the Criminal Code 1997, same-sex sexual activity is strictly prohibited and can have a penalty of up to 2 years in prison. The law is only criminalized for men. Enforcement of this law is very selective, a famous master of ceremonies was sentenced to 2 years in prison under Code 1997. There have been instances recorded of law enforcement luring out these men to quickly detain them. There have also been cases of missing persons because of male homosexuality. A man outed himself on the internet and quickly after being summoned by the police, he went missing. His parents were worried that he was being held for these ‘crimes’, but they themselves went missing over time. Their neighbors said that one day they just didn’t come home, they had disappeared. There were also reports of arrests relating to homosexuality increasing in 2013, stating that the men had to pay large bribes for their release. Men were tortured in detention for the ‘crime’ of homosexuality. The government in Turkmenistan is repressive and authoritarian, and it is not likely that these conditions will improve in the near future. 

“Turkmenistan | Human Dignity Trust.” Www.humandignitytrust.org., www.humandignitytrust.org/country-profile/turkmenistan/.