Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06ALMATY3002
2006-08-23 11:12:00
UNCLASSIFIED
US Office Almaty
Cable title:
KAZAKHSTAN: AUTHORITIES FREE 21 TRAFFICKING VICTIMS
how-toVZCZCXRO8567 RR RUEHDBU RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG DE RUEHTA #3002/01 2351112 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 231112Z AUG 06 FM AMEMBASSY ALMATY TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6658 INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE//ECJ5// RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC//DHO-2// RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL//CCJ5// RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//USDP EURASIA// RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//USDP-SOLIC-CN// RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC//IET// RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC RUEHAST/USOFFICE ASTANA
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ALMATY 003002
SIPDIS
STATE FOR INL RICHARD, BUHLER, AND CARROLL; EUR/ACE; SCA/CEN
FOR MUDGE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR KCRM KCOR PREL PINT KZ TJ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: AUTHORITIES FREE 21 TRAFFICKING VICTIMS
REF: ALMATY 2822
ALMATY 00003002 001.2 OF 002
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ALMATY 003002
SIPDIS
STATE FOR INL RICHARD, BUHLER, AND CARROLL; EUR/ACE; SCA/CEN
FOR MUDGE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR KCRM KCOR PREL PINT KZ TJ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: AUTHORITIES FREE 21 TRAFFICKING VICTIMS
REF: ALMATY 2822
ALMATY 00003002 001.2 OF 002
1. Summary: On August 14, Astana city policemen announced
that they had freed 21 Tajik citizens from confinement by an
Astana labor trafficker, who they promptly arrested. The
Tajik victims were kept in a shed and forced to work at
construction sites in the rapidly growing capital city. The
Embassy of Tajikistan tipped off the police about the plight
of the victims and assisted during a raid that was the
indirect result of a recent national amnesty act for illegal
migrants (reftel). End summary.
--------------
FREE AT LAST
--------------
2. Working on a tip from the Embassy of Tajikistan, Astana
policemen recently freed 21 citizens of Tajikistan from
forced labor. According to the Department on Combating
Trafficking in Persons of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
(MVD) an Astana resident kept them in a shed and forced them
to serve as slave labor. The trafficker kept their salaries
for himself. The estimated salary of an average migrant
laborer is $100-150 per month. Upon arrival in Astana he
demanded $250 from each victim for serving as the go-between
for them and their future employer.
3. According to the police department of the city of
Astana, the scenario was typical for a labor trafficking
case. The suspect illegally brought Tajik citizens to
Astana, collected their passports and never returned them.
He kept the victims in custody around the clock, either on
special bus transport to worksites or in his shed during non-
work hours. Previous cases indicate that the trafficking
victims likely remained compliant due to the lure of
employment and the fear of being turned over to the police.
4. The only compensation the enslaved migrants received was
food. The police department insists that this is the first
incident of labor exploitation in the city of Astana.
According to post's contact in the Department on Combating
Trafficking in Persons, police have initiated a criminal
case against the suspect (Kazakhstani citizen) under Article
128 (trafficking in persons) of the Criminal Code. An
investigation is underway; according to an Astana MVD
representative, the alleged trafficker could be sentenced up
to eight years of imprisonment.
-------------- --------------
AMNESTY: MIGRANTS' FREEDOM FROM FEAR IS THE FIRST STEP
-------------- --------------
5. Kazakhstani policemen freed the victims through a raid
on the premises, with unspecified assistance from the Tajik
diplomatic mission. The Astana MVD reports that they have
increased the tempo of national operations in connection
with the amnesty of illegal migrants that began August 1
(reftel). According to the MVD, employers are still not
very eager to legalize illegal employees on their own, so
the police are proactively searching for illegal guest
workers to ensure success of the temporary amnesty action.
According to the MVD, victims were questioned by the police
and taken by the representative of the Embassy of
Tajikistan. The Embassy informed post that the victims
safely returned home.
--------------
COMMENT
--------------
6. Comment: Although the stated aim of the raid was not to
combat traffickers but rather to make the new amnesty law a
success, it is encouraging to see that the migrants were
repatriated and not arrested. However, the success of the
prosecution of the trafficker is questionable since the
primary witnesses to the crime have returned to their home-
country.
7. Comment, cont.: Post is not aware of other cases of
cooperation between Kazakhstani law enforcement and foreign
missions regarding illegal laborers. This case therefore
ALMATY 00003002 002.2 OF 002
seems to be a positive development that bears monitoring.
Whether police will sustain the momentum and continue to
free illegal labor migrants and arrest traffickers after the
period of amnesty is over remains to be seen. End comment.
ORDWAY
SIPDIS
STATE FOR INL RICHARD, BUHLER, AND CARROLL; EUR/ACE; SCA/CEN
FOR MUDGE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR KCRM KCOR PREL PINT KZ TJ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: AUTHORITIES FREE 21 TRAFFICKING VICTIMS
REF: ALMATY 2822
ALMATY 00003002 001.2 OF 002
1. Summary: On August 14, Astana city policemen announced
that they had freed 21 Tajik citizens from confinement by an
Astana labor trafficker, who they promptly arrested. The
Tajik victims were kept in a shed and forced to work at
construction sites in the rapidly growing capital city. The
Embassy of Tajikistan tipped off the police about the plight
of the victims and assisted during a raid that was the
indirect result of a recent national amnesty act for illegal
migrants (reftel). End summary.
--------------
FREE AT LAST
--------------
2. Working on a tip from the Embassy of Tajikistan, Astana
policemen recently freed 21 citizens of Tajikistan from
forced labor. According to the Department on Combating
Trafficking in Persons of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
(MVD) an Astana resident kept them in a shed and forced them
to serve as slave labor. The trafficker kept their salaries
for himself. The estimated salary of an average migrant
laborer is $100-150 per month. Upon arrival in Astana he
demanded $250 from each victim for serving as the go-between
for them and their future employer.
3. According to the police department of the city of
Astana, the scenario was typical for a labor trafficking
case. The suspect illegally brought Tajik citizens to
Astana, collected their passports and never returned them.
He kept the victims in custody around the clock, either on
special bus transport to worksites or in his shed during non-
work hours. Previous cases indicate that the trafficking
victims likely remained compliant due to the lure of
employment and the fear of being turned over to the police.
4. The only compensation the enslaved migrants received was
food. The police department insists that this is the first
incident of labor exploitation in the city of Astana.
According to post's contact in the Department on Combating
Trafficking in Persons, police have initiated a criminal
case against the suspect (Kazakhstani citizen) under Article
128 (trafficking in persons) of the Criminal Code. An
investigation is underway; according to an Astana MVD
representative, the alleged trafficker could be sentenced up
to eight years of imprisonment.
-------------- --------------
AMNESTY: MIGRANTS' FREEDOM FROM FEAR IS THE FIRST STEP
-------------- --------------
5. Kazakhstani policemen freed the victims through a raid
on the premises, with unspecified assistance from the Tajik
diplomatic mission. The Astana MVD reports that they have
increased the tempo of national operations in connection
with the amnesty of illegal migrants that began August 1
(reftel). According to the MVD, employers are still not
very eager to legalize illegal employees on their own, so
the police are proactively searching for illegal guest
workers to ensure success of the temporary amnesty action.
According to the MVD, victims were questioned by the police
and taken by the representative of the Embassy of
Tajikistan. The Embassy informed post that the victims
safely returned home.
--------------
COMMENT
--------------
6. Comment: Although the stated aim of the raid was not to
combat traffickers but rather to make the new amnesty law a
success, it is encouraging to see that the migrants were
repatriated and not arrested. However, the success of the
prosecution of the trafficker is questionable since the
primary witnesses to the crime have returned to their home-
country.
7. Comment, cont.: Post is not aware of other cases of
cooperation between Kazakhstani law enforcement and foreign
missions regarding illegal laborers. This case therefore
ALMATY 00003002 002.2 OF 002
seems to be a positive development that bears monitoring.
Whether police will sustain the momentum and continue to
free illegal labor migrants and arrest traffickers after the
period of amnesty is over remains to be seen. End comment.
ORDWAY