MYRADOVA DIES IN PRISON, CIRCUMSTANCES UNKNOWN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ASHGABAT 000963

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT. FOR SCA/CEN (PERRY)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/13/2016
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL TX
SUBJECT: MYRADOVA DIES IN PRISON, CIRCUMSTANCES UNKNOWN

REF: A. ASHGABAT 910


B. ASHGABAT 840

C. ASHGABAT 698

D. ASHGABAT 652

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Jennifer L. Brush for reasons 1.4 (B)
and (D).

Summary
--------------


1. (C) Sona and Mara Myradova notified embassy September 14
that their mother, Ogulspapar Myradova, was reportedly dead.
After hearing rumors and under continued surveillance, the
daughters were asked by Turkmenistani authorities to identify
their mother's body at the city morgue after it had been
released from Owadan-Depe Prison. Embassy personnel visited
the morgue, saw the release of the body to the family and
viewed the body at the family residence. The body had
several wounds, impressions and injuries. Although
Turkmenistani security personnel observed the proceedings,
there was no active interference following the arrival of
embassy personnel. The cause of death is unknown as no
report accompanied the body, which had been autopsied.
Charge met with OSCE and British ambassadors to discuss the
case and all agreed OSCE Ambassador Djigic would ask the
Chairman in Officer to send a letter to President Niyazov
requesting an explanation for Myradova's cause of death. End
summary.

Myradova Daughters Receive Hints Their Mother is Dead
-------------- --------------


2. (C) The Myradova daughters approached the embassy
September 14 in the morning to pass news they had received
regarding their 58-year old mother, Ogulspapar Myradova.
(Note: Myradova's case is complicated, see reftels, but has
been portrayed by the media as a human rights issue. End
note) After hearing from neighbors that their mother had
died, their brother went to the police to ask about their
mother. The police would not confirm or deny their mother's
death, but simply asked how they learned of this information.
The daughters had no additional information regarding their
mother's condition, and requested embassy assistance.


3. (C) Also during the conversation, the sisters informed
embassy that there had been increased law enforcement
activity around their home. They noted their continued
inability to visit their mother and the bureaucratic hurdles
they encountered in trying to pursue due process in
Turkmenistan. In the course of these reported discussions,
they learned that their aunt and uncle, who live overseas,
"had become active again." The sisters also were advised
that if "they had not contacted certain people, things would
be more normal." The sisters associated RFE/RL reporting
with this notification as they heard that "too much
information is getting out." (Note: This is the first time
the daughters have linked their mother's situation with
RFE/RL to embassy personnel. End note)


4. (C) The sisters told embassy that the verdict of their
mother's August 25 trial had not yet been finalized. The
appeal process cannot start until written notification of the
verdict is made public.

Myradova Daughters Receive Confirmation of Mother's Death
-------------- --------------


5. (C) Approximately one hour after the earlier
conversation, the Myradova sisters contacted the embassy
again and requested a meeting. In the interim, a Human
Rights Watch representative currently visiting Tblisi,
Georgia informed embassy that her contacts in Bulgaria
(presumed to be the Myradova relatives in exile) had heard of
Myradova's death. OSCE representatives also joined this
meeting at the embassy.


6. (C) The Myradova sisters said that after returning home
from their earlier visit to the embassy, a neighbor passed

ASHGABAT 00000963 002 OF 003


them a note left by a "Major Wepa" from the police
department. After contacting the police department, a
vehicle arrived to the residence to transport them to the
city morgue. An official at the morgue informed the sisters
they needed to submit a letter assuming possession of the
body and noting the burial place before they could view the
body. The sisters refused, insisting that they see the body
first. The sisters feared that signing a letter
acknowledging their mother's death would enable the
government to kill their mother. Their argument assumed that
the government, after receiving the letter, would not release
the body. The morgue official told the sisters they had 20
minutes to write the letter or the body would be buried in
eight hours time.


7. (C) Amidst this process, the sisters approached another
worker at the morgue who told them the body arrived September
13 at 12:30 p.m. Instead of the Yashlyk prison where the
sisters had believed their mother had been held, the morgue
employee stated that the body had come from the Owadan Depe
prison, which houses a number of political prisoners. Their
conversation was interrupted by another official who silenced
the informative morgue employee.

Trip to the Morgue to Identify the Body
--------------


8. (C) After the conclusion of the embassy meeting, emboffs
traveled to the city morgue where they met the sisters again.
After introductions with morgue officials, the sisters again
requested to view the body. The official on duty appeared
cooperative, but was not able to produce the body
immediately. For approximately 30-40 minutes, emboffs and
the Myradova sisters waited. The sisters arranged for a
vehicle to transport the body and made numerous phone calls
during this time. The morgue officials then insisted on a
signature before viewing the body, however they eventually
allowed the sisters to view their mother's body out of view
of emboffs. Amid cries and shrieks, the sisters screamed in
unison "oni ubili, oni ubili" "they killed (her),they killed
(her)." Soon the body, wrapped in a thick, raw cotton
shroud, emerged and was loaded into the vehicle. The sisters
invited emboffs to follow them to their residence to view the
body.

Condition of the Body
--------------


9. (C) After arrival to the residence, family members
carried the body up to their second floor apartment. After
resting the body on the floor, the sisters uncovered the head
of their mother. They had not viewed the rest of the body at
the morgue. Eventually they uncovered the entire body for
emboffs to view. Following is a description of injuries and
markings observed by emboffs:

- A vertical one to two inch (in length) gouge in
the middle of her forehead, which appeared to extend deeper
than the epidermis. The wound was red. No bruising was
observed.

- In contrast to her light tan complexion,
emboffs observed a uniform, smooth, dark impression around
her neck of about half an inch in diameter. No bruising was
observed around this impression.

- Two or three areas of one hand had the skin
flayed back with open, red wounds. The wounds were very
small - the largest one measuring less than the size of a
dime.

- The ankle area of one leg was swollen and
bruised.

- A large bruise appeared on her lower thigh.

- Her mid-section from her neck to waist had been
sown back together, indicative of an autopsy.


ASHGABAT 00000963 003 OF 003


Emboffs did not observe any other marks or bruising, but also
did not have an opportunity to observe the back of her body.
The daughters speculated that the body had been in cold
storage for several days and also claimed that the wounds on
their mother's hand were indicative of electric torture. The
family has not yet received any paperwork from the
authorities regarding their mother's death and an explanation
of the cause has not yet been provided by Turkmenistani
authorities.

Next Steps from Ashgabat
--------------


10. (C) The Charge met with OSCE Ambassador Ibrahim Djigic
and U.K. Embassy Ambassador Peter Butcher on September 14
after emboffs returned from viewing the body. Djigic said he
would ask that OSCE Chairman in Office Karel de Gucht write a
letter to President Niyazov demanding an explanation of
Myradova's death while in custody. The embassy expects to
maintain contact with the two daughters, but will not take an
overt diplomatic next step until the OSCE request has run its
course.

Press Inquiries
--------------


11. (U) Post already is receiving press inquiries on the
Myradova case and is replying, "The U.S. Embassy is
collecting the facts regarding this case and has no comment
at this time."

Comment
--------------


12. (C) The Myradova case has been complicated from the
beginning. While human rights organizations and the media
emphasized that she was being persecuted for her job as an
RFE/RL reporter, her RFE/RL connection was never an issue
raised by the government. The fact is she is dead, and there
is suspicion that she was killed, but the evidence is not
conclusive. Releasing the body of a political prisoner to
the family is an unprecedented act. The usual course of
action is a series of rumors regarding the alleged death in
prison of a prominent detainee until a credible contact can
verify that the information is accurate. Scores of prisoners
arrested for the alleged November 2002 assassination attempt
of President Niyazov have not been heard of since their
detention. There are many high-level government officials
who were imprisoned and their fate is unknown. That the
government would conduct what appears to be an autopsy and
release the body to the family, knowing the international
attention that has already been focused on this case, leaves
much speculation about the cause of death. Post is waiting
for the family to deliver photos of the corpse and possibly
the autopsy report for the official cause of death. Post
will continue to monitor all local developments and report
them immediately. End Comment.

BRUSH