PETITION TARGET: Turkmenistan Department of Internal Affairs
Turkmenistan’s dogs and cats are allegedly being killed through horrific and inhumane methods — including poisoning, beating, stabbing, shooting, and being buried alive, according to anonymous whistleblowers who spoke to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).
The brutal killings are allegedly being carried out by public utility workers forced to meet culling quotas, according to anonymous claims made by former public-utility workers to RFE/RL.
An alleged witness reported seeing a whimpering dog stabbed in the neck — in full view of children who were left in tears. Another anonymous source told RFT/RL of 18 dogs and cats who were beaten to death with metal rods in a park. The violent killings were reportedly caught on camera, but the witness claims that all of the phones were confiscated and the footage was removed.
One worker claims that after refusing to participate in the cruelty and finding a new job at a landfill site, he witnessed whimpering animals buried alive alongside the bodies of dead dogs and cats who were being dumped under the supervision of a watchman, according to RFE/RL.
The workers told RFE/RL that if they refused to kill the defenseless animals, they could be threatened by their employers. Some claimed they have been forced to pay others to carry out the killings. There are even reports that children were paid to feed the animals poisoned bread and sausages.
The alleged brutality is reportedly occurring despite a 2022 law against animal cruelty that states population control should be enforced through “methods that exclude cruelty and unnecessary suffering,” according to RFE/RL.
Dogs and cats are sentient animals who do not deserve to poisoned, beaten, or buried alive. These anonymous reports of animal cruelty must be fully investigated — and if found to be true, action must be taken to stop the senseless suffering of innocent animals.
Sign our petition urging Turkmenistan authorities to investigate these claims to ensure that animal cruelty is not tolerated.
