>>I wouldn't jump to conclusions based on couple minutes of Google searc...

abalashov · on Dec 17, 2009

I think the parent's point was that blanket statements of this sort gloss over all sorts of significant nuances that render the issue in non-B&W terms, especially as it relates to his specific experience of that country's political environment.

berntb · on Dec 17, 2009

>> his specific experience of that country's political environment.

Totally irrelevant. I quoted:

>>Any opposition to the government is considered treason and punishable by life imprisonment.

My SPECIFIC point was:

The "joke" here is: I wonder what would happen the poster if he wrote anything different?

To be absolutely clear: The poster couldn't write anything else out of self preservation, according to HRW/Wikipedia.

If you can show HRW to be spinning that much, please give references.

atamyrat · on Dec 17, 2009

My SPECIFIC point was:

The "joke" here is: I wonder what would happen the poster if he wrote anything different?

Nothing! Seriously.. I keep a blog (in Turkmen) for more than 3 years and people actually living in the country write all kinds of criticism (in blog posts/comments), and guess what? We are all alive and well, have more than 1 million+ pageviews/year.

Oh wait, someone's knocking the door...

berntb · on Dec 17, 2009

Well, I hope HRW and Wikipedia [edit: and CIA World Factbook] are full of it, for your sake...