Additional Context: This information was collected by Human Rights Watch, or HRW, in an interview with a representative of Turkmen.news in April 2025 and 2026.

The organization had received funding from the National Endowment for Democracy, or NED, to document human rights violations and disseminate findings outside the country. U.S. cuts had initially stripped the organization of funding. The funding was later reinstated when NED, which is a congressionally-funded nonprofit foundation, won a lawsuit against the U.S. government, which forced the release of $95 million in funding globally.

Devex Researcher Note: The sustainability of NED funding, and therefore outlets like Turkmen.News, is still in question even as some funds are reinstated. As the U.S. moves to defund most of its foreign assistance, a bill to permanently defund the organization has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Source: Human Rights Watch