The cases were reported by Chronicles of Turkmenistan. The platforms in question remain inaccessible in Turkmenistan without VPN services, which the government has systematically tried to block.

According to available information, security services are identifying citizens who regularly visit banned online resources. Those individuals are then summoned to police stations, where they are interrogated and warned about the consequences of further online activity.

The cases are then transferred to lower courts. In most instances, first-time offenders are fined approximately $10.

There have also been separate cases in which obscene language online has served as grounds for administrative prosecution.

In Turkmenabat, authorities have begun transferring internet subscribers from outdated ADSL connections to Ethernet. As previously reported by Chronicles of Turkmenistan, telecommunications workers are replacing old cables and installing new lines in apartments at no charge. However, users must purchase their own routers, which currently cost between $25 and $30 in local markets.

According to the latest CIVICUS report, Turkmenistan has significantly tightened digital controls and restrictions on access to uncensored information in recent months.

In its updated assessment, CIVICUS notes that despite official statements about improving digital infrastructure, Turkmenistan’s government has also increased pressure on alternative internet access channels, including equipment linked to Starlink.

The organization warns that the expansion of Ethernet networks may also be intended to increase centralized monitoring and control of internet traffic.

In neighboring Tajikistan, the legal direction has been different. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, President Emomali Rahmon signed a law in May 2025 decriminalizing likes and other reactions to social media posts that had previously carried criminal liability.

Turkmenistan’s practice of fining citizens for online activity points in the opposite direction, toward tighter state control over the internet in a country where access to independent information remains severely restricted.