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Turkmenbashy Part 1: Soviet Stooge, Hermit Tyrant
In the rubble of the Soviet Union, Turkmenistan is born... its unusual leader, Niyazov.
Turkmenistan in Central Asia. Somewhere unremarkable, you might assume. But you鈥檇 be wrong. Away from prying eyes, an extraordinary story unfolded here. In the early 1990s, a man called Saparmurat Niyazov creates a brand-new state from the rubble of the Soviet Union. His regime will be a case study in modern tyranny, filled with bizarre pronouncements and barely believable laws. As 鈥楾urkmenbashy鈥�, or 鈥楬ead of the Turkmen鈥�, Niyazov rules into the 2000s, turning Turkmenistan into a North Korea 2.0. But how does he get away with it?
A Noiser production, written by Dan Smith.
