Documented Cases.

Boris Shikhmuradov

Boris Shikhmuradov is a Turkmen politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan from 1995 to 2000 and as Turkmenistan’s Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China starting in March 2001. He was arrested on December 25, 2002, following an alleged assassination attempt against President Saparmurad Niazov. He was sentenced to life imprisonment after the People’s Council amended the criminal code to allow for life sentences for traitors. Reports indicate he was subjected to torture and drugging to extract confessions. His current status is unknown; he may still be imprisoned, may have died in prison, or may have been secretly executed between 2003 and 2005.