KAZAKHSTAN: HUMAN RIGHTS BUREAU ROBBED

UNCLAS ALMATY 003107

SIPDIS


DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/CACEN (J.MUDGE),DRL/PHD (C. KUCHTA-
HELBLING)

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM EAID KZ POLITICAL
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: HUMAN RIGHTS BUREAU ROBBED


1. (SBU) Summary: An August 14 robbery of the Kazakhstani
International Bureau for Human Rights resulted in the loss
of almost all the organization's databases and temporarily
crippled its work. Emergency grants and post's donation of
ten excess computers are helping KIBHR get back up and
running. Although it is not possible to rule out a
straightforward robbery, the nature of the items stolen
points toward possible political motivation. End summary.

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Office Burglarized, Computers Stolen
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2. (U) The Kazakhstani International Bureau for Human Rights
(KIBHR),headed by noted activist Yevgeniy Zhovtis, was
burglarized during the night of August 14. The thieves
sawed through iron bars covering the windows on the
courtyard side of the building, then kicked in locked
internal doors to gain access to several rooms. The local
police and internal affairs officials are investigating.
They have yet to identify any suspects.


3. (SBU) During an August 17 visit to the Bureau, POEC chief
and Pol FSN inspected the damage. Deputy Director Zhemis
Turmagambetova shared a list of the items that had been
stolen, including five monitors, 12 CPUs, and two phones.
The purchase price of the stolen items totaled 1,361,432 KZT
(approximately $10,084). While some complete CPUs had been
stolen, in many cases the thieves had opened the case and
removed only the motherboard and the hard drive.
Turmagambetova noted that the loss of information was the
most serious blow; the thieves appeared to focus on machines
containing human rights advocacy information, bypassing
other offices handling issues such as migration. As they
had stolen the hard drive from the main server, KIBHR had no
way to restore the data. Fortunately, KIBHR's accountant
had backed up her data and kept a copy at home.

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Assistance
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4. (SBU) Turmagambetova stated that a _3000 emergency grant
from the OSCE Center would be sufficient to cover their most
immediate priorities of replacing window grills, locks,
doors, and the accountant's computer and specialized
software. On August 19 post donated ten excess computers
and five monitors through a PA grant. KIBHR associates
indicated that the donation would speed their ability to
resume work. The Soros Foundation of Kazakhstan is
reportedly also considering a grant of $10,000.

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Economic or Political?
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5. (SBU) There was immediate speculation within the human
rights community that the robbery was a politically-
motivated effort to hamper KIBHR's effectiveness in advance
of December 2005 presidential elections. Turmagambetova did
not offer a clear opinion. She speculated that perhaps
individuals who had visited the Bureau for counseling were
responsible, and also appeared to lend credence to the
investigators' theory that a traveling band of thieves
specializing in computer equipment was behind the robbery.
KIBHR associate Sergey Duvanov told POEC chief on August 19
that while it was possible that this was a simple robbery,
the fact that the burglars had left behind valuable
equipment such as scanners and faxes, while focusing on
computers storing key information, pointed toward political
motivations. He noted that the loss of case file
information and legal reference materials would have the
greatest impact on the Bureau's ability to advise and
advocate on behalf of individuals. He added, however, that
it would in no way limit the organization's ability to speak
out on any perceived irregularities with upcoming elections.


6. (SBU) Zhovtis, who was out of the country at the time of
the robbery, told us on August 23 that he was not sure
whether it was politically motivated. He too found it
suspicious that the thieves had dismantled computers
containing the most crucial information, rather than taking
the entire units. Zhovtis indicated that KIBHR was still

trying to calculate the total damages and determine whether
there are any unmet needs. Some of the grant money is being
used to install an alarm system.

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Turmagambetova to Leave KIBHR
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7. (SBU) In discussing the robbery with POEC chief and Pol
FSN, Turmagambetova made no effort to conceal her growing
frustration with Zhovtis. She shared plans to leave KIBHR
and form a new organization called Human Rights Charter,
which would focus on individual advocacy rather than what
she described as Zhovtis' "harsh criticism" of GOK policy.
(Comment: Judging by Turmagambetova's relatively positive
assessment of GOK policy, and of President Nazarbayev in
particular, post expects the new organization to be much
more acceptable to the GOK than KIBHR is. Her departure
would not be entirely unwelcome among the donor community,
as she is known to be difficult to work with and reluctant
to share information. End comment.) Clearly aware of how
the situation appears, Turmagambetova noted bitterly that
there were already rumors that her office at KIBHR was not
robbed because she was a GOK "informant."


8. (SBU) Comment: Burglaries are relatively uncommon in
Almaty, particularly of offices without cash or other high-
value items for the taking. Given the nature of the items
stolen and their relatively low resale value, post suspects
that this may well have been a politically-motivated effort
to impede KIBHR's work. End comment.


9. (U) Dushanbe minimize considered.

ASQUINO


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