Reckless leaders in Turkmenistan are accused of putting lives at risk by banning any discussion about coronavirus - and even banning citizens from wearing facemasks.
The government has reportedly said the word "coronavirus" cannot be used in any media reports or health leaflets.
Officials claim there has not been a single case within their borders.
Even wearing face masks is prohibited, journalists in the secretive state, led by strongman Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, claim.
Reports from inside Turkmenistan claim those overheard discussing the killer bug could face arrest.
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The Turkmenistan Chronicle - which cannot be accessed inside the country - claims that brochures released in recent days by the Ministry of Health make no mention of Covid-19 - which has killed more than 40,000 people around the world.
And independent Radio Azatlyk claims that wearing face masks is also banned.
Jeanne Cavelier, the head of Reporters Without Borders' Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk, said in a statement : “The Turkmen authorities have lived up to their reputation by adopting this extreme method for eradicating all information about the coronavirus.
“This denial of information not only endangers the Turkmen citizens most at risk but also reinforces the authoritarianism imposed by President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov.
"We urge the international community to react and to take him to task for his systematic human rights violations.”
Alexander A. Cooley, director of the Harriman Institute at Columbia University, told NPR : "Banning the term 'coronavirus' might seem to us obscene and extreme.
"But in reality, when the state controls all of the media and all of the digital nodes coming in and out, it's not that outrageous.
"My sense is that they'll try and keep [the pandemic] under wraps as long as they can."
Turkmenistan is one of the most restrictive countries in the world.
RSF says: "The government controls all domestic media and continues to step up its persecution of those who clandestinely report for exile media outlets.
"The few internet users can only access a highly-censored version of the internet, usually in cafés where they must first present identification."
