Turkmen senior citizens campaign against pension cuts, 2006
Turkmenistan is a country in Asia, located north of Iran and Afghanistan, with a population of approximately 6 million. President Saparmurat Niyazov came to power after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, and remained in power until late 2006. Under Niyazov’s rule, Turkmenistan’s economy declined, with frequent food shortages and mass unemployment. Because of the repressive nature of the regime, protests against the authoritarian government were few and far in between.