SOMETIMES IT'S BETTER TO ASK PERMISSION THAN BEG

C O N F I D E N T I A L DUSHANBE 000311 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EUR/ACE, DRL/IRF, INR, S/CT EUR FOR DAS BRYZA NSC FOR MILLARD, MERKEL ALMATY PASS TO USAID E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/16/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER EAID KISL KIRF TI SUBJECT: SOMETIMES IT'S BETTER TO ASK PERMISSION THAN BEG FORGIVENESS CLASSIFIED BY: Richard E. Hoagland, Ambassador, EXEC, Embassy Dushanbe. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (U) USAID Dushanbe requested guidance from the Ambassador February 15 on a sensitive issue. The U.S. NGO Community Habitat and Finance (CHF)'s Alternative to Conflict in Tajikistan program has an Economic Opportunity Center (EOC) in Isfara in the sensitive Farghana Valley that offers computer, English-language, and other economic development courses. A local young imam is an active and contributing member of the EOC advisory board. ¶2. (C) Two of the participants in an EOC computer course are young men recently released from prison after having served terms for allegedly being members of the extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT). The two applied for an advertised EOC Program Manager position. The interview panel judged that one of the two is well qualified for the USAID-funded job. Before offering him the job, CHF decided to check with USAID Almaty. USAID Almaty queried USAID Dushanbe, which consulted with Embassy Dushanbe. The Embassy is grateful for this consultation. ¶3. (C) While the United States is a nation of "second chances" where any kind of discrimination against qualified candidates is usually anathema, in this case the Embassy strongly recommended against hiring the alleged former HT member. ¶4. (C) The Government of Tajikistan is extremely worried about Islamic radicalism, and its intelligence agencies place a high priority on surveilling suspects and attempting to penetrate HT cells. In 2005, about 300 alleged HT members were arrested. ¶5. (C) A U.S.-funded NGO hiring a formerly imprisoned alleged HT member, even in all innocence, would have raised a red flag for the government. It also would have given a golden opportunity to anti-U.S. elements in the Ministry of Security to present to President Rahmonov "concrete evidence" that the United States connives with Islamic radicals to overthrow governments in the region, as rumored by "the Great Game players." Finally, it would have given ammunition to those who argue that foreign NGOs are dangerous. ¶6. (C) We regret this violation of the American values of fairness and good faith. However, given the political context, the recommendation not to hire had to be made. HOAGLAND