A lot of the articles I read about this were years ago, but Turkmenistan actually does all the bans people think North Korea does. Beards, video games, car radios, opera and ballet, facial hair, and long hair on men. The president doing this at the time was a big traditionalist who wanted to return to traditional Turkmen values. Sounds very familiar. He ordered the closure of all libraries outside of the capital because he believed the people were illiterate. The only ban to be lifted from his reign was that on circuses and operas.

That same president would say everyday that those who spoke out against the state would have their tongues cut or something like that. Police brutality is notoriously awful as well. Most of Turkmenistans infamous rulings were done under that specific president but the current one isn't much better. He's more about maintaining what his predecessor did while engaging in more weak attempts at looking strong. The John Oliver clip does do a good job at showcasing the amount of stunts he pulls to project his image as being superhuman.