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All hail Turkmenbashi

More on the personality cult run by Turkmenistan’s President Saparmurat Niyazov. He staged lavish ceremonies over the weekend to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the country’s independence from the Soviet Union. Ordinary residents weren’t allowed to attend the official ceremonies, but the autocratic leader did find time to pardon some 10,000 prisoners as part of ...

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606437_72276396-25.jpg

More on the personality cult run by Turkmenistan's President Saparmurat Niyazov. He staged lavish ceremonies over the weekend to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the country's independence from the Soviet Union. Ordinary residents weren't allowed to attend the official ceremonies, but the autocratic leader did find time to pardon some 10,000 prisoners as part of the celebration. Be sure to check out this photoessay of the festivities from the BBC. (Photo credit: IGOR SASSIN/AFP/Getty Images)

More on the personality cult run by Turkmenistan’s President Saparmurat Niyazov. He staged lavish ceremonies over the weekend to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the country’s independence from the Soviet Union. Ordinary residents weren’t allowed to attend the official ceremonies, but the autocratic leader did find time to pardon some 10,000 prisoners as part of the celebration. Be sure to check out this photoessay of the festivities from the BBC. (Photo credit: IGOR SASSIN/AFP/Getty Images)

Carolyn O'Hara is a senior editor at Foreign Policy.
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