A group calling itself the Turkmen Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights held its first meeting in Sofia on 19 August. According to the group\'s chairman, Kadzhigul Bekmetova, the Bulgaria-based organization has 16 members, nine of whom are ethnic Turkmen. An unspecified number live in Turkmenistan. It is supported by the Bulgarian Helsinki group and the International Helsinki Federation. Bekmetova told \"Kommersant-Daily\" that the group\'s objective is to defend human rights in Turkmenistan and to gather and publicize facts about the real situation in the country, starting with the compilation of a list of political prisoners and their relatives who have been mistreated by the authorities. Later, the group hopes to distribute information inside Turkmenistan about international human rights standards. (Interfax)