Saparmurat Niyazov, one of the absolute worst dictators ever alive, died just a couple of days ago. He was the dictator of Turkmenistan where he closed all hospitals and librarys except for those in the head capital. In the library, the only book was his own book about his own religion.
Here are some of his rules:
In February 2005 he ordered the closure of all hospitals outside Aşgabat, saying that if people were ill, they could come to the capital. He also ordered the closure of all rural libraries of Turkmenistan, saying that ordinary Turkmen do not read books.
In 2004 he forbid young men to grow long hair or beards
In April 2001 Niyzov banned ballet and opera, describing them as "Not a part of Turkmen culture"
In January 2006 he ordered an end to paying pensions to one-third of the country's elderly people, cutting pensions to another 200,000, and ordering to pay the pensions received in the past two years back to the state.
The Turkmen leader changed the Turkmen word for bread, and name of the month of April, to that of his late mother.
Niyazov never liked dogs so dogs were banned from the capital.
I must say it is a good thing he died. Dictators suck.