Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan have joined the worst category in the US State Department’s blacklist of countries that have failed to combat human trafficking. 

The Swedish retail giant IKEA has been reported to the US Customs Department for importing duvet covers made in Turkmenistan.

By Ola Westerberg, TT News Agency, Sweden

Duvet covers and pillow shams sold by IKEA are produced in Turkmenistan, a country which has been compared to North Korea because of its seclusion and tight control over its citizens.

Leaked email exchanges indicate Hacking Team gave permission for its spyware to be ‘presented and promoted’ to the secret police of Turkmenistan.

A new report places Azerbaijan in a four-way tie with Russia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan as the most corrupt countries in Europe and Central Asia.