Khalmurad Gylychdurdyev was returned to his family by officers of the Ministry of National Security (MNS) on June 26, 2004. He said that Amnesty International's involvement had helped secure his release. Mr Gylychdurdyev had been taken away by three men in a car on the morning of June 23 during a visit to the eye hospital in the capital, Ashgabat. During interrogation, while in detention, he was pressured to stop giving interviews on Radio Liberty - a US station that frequently broadcasts programs critical of Turkmenistan's government policies.