Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ASHGABAT1377
2007-12-19 09:24:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:
TURKMENISTAN: ANOTHER FREEDOM-OF-MOVEMENT CASE
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C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 001377
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/18/2017
TAGS: PGOV PHUM TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: ANOTHER FREEDOM-OF-MOVEMENT CASE
Classified By: CHARGE RICHARD E. HOAGLAND FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)
C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 001377
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/18/2017
TAGS: PGOV PHUM TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: ANOTHER FREEDOM-OF-MOVEMENT CASE
Classified By: CHARGE RICHARD E. HOAGLAND FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)
1. (C) SUMMARY: The sister of a Turkmen exile opposition
leader is being barred from leaving Turkmenistan and
pressured to relinquish her Turkmen citizenship. Authorities
barred her from boarding an aircraft bound for Moscow on
November 24, and seem bent on convincing her to leave the
country once and for all. In spite of the barriers they are
creating for her, she is resisting their efforts, probably
due to concerns about other relatives still in Turkmenistan.
END SUMMARY.
2. (C) December 11 by Svetlana Orazova, sister of exile
opposition leader Khudaiberdy Orazov, asked to see PolOff
December 11. She claimed she had been denied permission to
travel abroad on November 24 when her name was found in the
Migration Service's database at the airport. Orazova, who is
married and has three children, is the sister of Khudaiberdy
Orazov, a former deputy prime minister of Turkmenistan and
former Central Bank Chairman who now lives in Sweden. He
founded and continues to head the exile opposition movement
"Watan" and is an outspoken critic of the Government of
Turkmenistan. After Orazov left Turkmenistan in 2001, the
Niyazov government accused him of embezzling as much as $120
million from the Central Bank, according to Internet press
sources.
3. (C) On November 24, Svetlana Orazova had tickets to fly
with her 3 year-old daughter to Moscow to visit her family
over the holidays. She was able to buy the tickets, and
passed through check-in and customs without a problem. When
the migration service did a final check, however, her name
was found in the database and she was not allowed to proceed
further. She came to the Embassy on December 11 to ask for
help in getting her name taken off the list so that she could
travel. She showed poloff her valid tickets. She also
reported that the security service and migration service have
been pressuring her to give up her Turkmen citizenship.
(Orazova currently holds dual Turkmen and Russian
citizenship.) The migration and security services have told
her that her name will not be removed from the travel
restriction list until she chooses one citizenship and gives
up the other.
4. (C) Orazova's husband was denied treatment for a heart
condition earlier this year after hospital officials found
his name on a list, but he was eventually able to travel to
Moscow, where he underwent heart surgery. Two of Orazova's
children are now studying in Russia as well. Her 19 year-old
daughter was denied permission to travel in summer 2006 when
she tried to return to China, where she was attending
university. The government has focused negative attention on
the family fairly consistently since 2002, according to
Internet news sources. She and her husband have been
routinely targeted since her brother's departure in 2001. In
the past, they have been arrested, detained and questioned,
surveilled, threatened, banned from foreign travel, and
barred from travel outside of Ashgabat.
5. (C) COMMENT: Pressure on relatives of alleged criminals
on the lam, though unexcusable, is common practice in
authoritarian states. Since Orazova and her family have been
harassed for a number of years, this case should not be seen
as indicating an up-tick in freedom-of-movement problems in
Turkmenistan. It is possible that the authorities are
pressuring Orazova hoping she will choose Russian citizenship
so that they can deny her access back into the country once
she leaves. She made it clear, however, that she is not
willing to give up her Turkmen citizenship. Although she did
not share her reasons, it may be that she wants to be able to
look after elderly relatives who live in Ashgabat and in
Dashoguz. This reality, however, paints her into a corner,
and limits her options. END COMMENT.
HOAGLAND
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/18/2017
TAGS: PGOV PHUM TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: ANOTHER FREEDOM-OF-MOVEMENT CASE
Classified By: CHARGE RICHARD E. HOAGLAND FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)
1. (C) SUMMARY: The sister of a Turkmen exile opposition
leader is being barred from leaving Turkmenistan and
pressured to relinquish her Turkmen citizenship. Authorities
barred her from boarding an aircraft bound for Moscow on
November 24, and seem bent on convincing her to leave the
country once and for all. In spite of the barriers they are
creating for her, she is resisting their efforts, probably
due to concerns about other relatives still in Turkmenistan.
END SUMMARY.
2. (C) December 11 by Svetlana Orazova, sister of exile
opposition leader Khudaiberdy Orazov, asked to see PolOff
December 11. She claimed she had been denied permission to
travel abroad on November 24 when her name was found in the
Migration Service's database at the airport. Orazova, who is
married and has three children, is the sister of Khudaiberdy
Orazov, a former deputy prime minister of Turkmenistan and
former Central Bank Chairman who now lives in Sweden. He
founded and continues to head the exile opposition movement
"Watan" and is an outspoken critic of the Government of
Turkmenistan. After Orazov left Turkmenistan in 2001, the
Niyazov government accused him of embezzling as much as $120
million from the Central Bank, according to Internet press
sources.
3. (C) On November 24, Svetlana Orazova had tickets to fly
with her 3 year-old daughter to Moscow to visit her family
over the holidays. She was able to buy the tickets, and
passed through check-in and customs without a problem. When
the migration service did a final check, however, her name
was found in the database and she was not allowed to proceed
further. She came to the Embassy on December 11 to ask for
help in getting her name taken off the list so that she could
travel. She showed poloff her valid tickets. She also
reported that the security service and migration service have
been pressuring her to give up her Turkmen citizenship.
(Orazova currently holds dual Turkmen and Russian
citizenship.) The migration and security services have told
her that her name will not be removed from the travel
restriction list until she chooses one citizenship and gives
up the other.
4. (C) Orazova's husband was denied treatment for a heart
condition earlier this year after hospital officials found
his name on a list, but he was eventually able to travel to
Moscow, where he underwent heart surgery. Two of Orazova's
children are now studying in Russia as well. Her 19 year-old
daughter was denied permission to travel in summer 2006 when
she tried to return to China, where she was attending
university. The government has focused negative attention on
the family fairly consistently since 2002, according to
Internet news sources. She and her husband have been
routinely targeted since her brother's departure in 2001. In
the past, they have been arrested, detained and questioned,
surveilled, threatened, banned from foreign travel, and
barred from travel outside of Ashgabat.
5. (C) COMMENT: Pressure on relatives of alleged criminals
on the lam, though unexcusable, is common practice in
authoritarian states. Since Orazova and her family have been
harassed for a number of years, this case should not be seen
as indicating an up-tick in freedom-of-movement problems in
Turkmenistan. It is possible that the authorities are
pressuring Orazova hoping she will choose Russian citizenship
so that they can deny her access back into the country once
she leaves. She made it clear, however, that she is not
willing to give up her Turkmen citizenship. Although she did
not share her reasons, it may be that she wants to be able to
look after elderly relatives who live in Ashgabat and in
Dashoguz. This reality, however, paints her into a corner,
and limits her options. END COMMENT.
HOAGLAND