YKLYMOVA TO LEAVE TURKMENISTAN AFTER MORE THAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000698 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN (SNELSIRE),DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/11/2012 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL TX SUBJECT: YKLYMOVA TO LEAVE TURKMENISTAN AFTER MORE THAN FOUR YEARS IN ISOLATION REF: 2006 ASHGABAT 000912 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Ambassador Richard E. Hoagland for rea sons 1.4 (b) and (d). SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Confirming host government reports that she has been removed from the & black list,8 Maral Yklymova, daughter of suspected coup plotter Parahat Yklymov, received her passport from the Mary City authorities on April 23. Since then she has tested her freedom with frequent trips to Ashgabat and has bought a plane ticket to Sweden to rejoin her family after four years in isolation. Though elated at her new freedom, Yklymova remains cautious and urged emboffs not to escort her at the airport at departure for fear of irritating the host government. AS IF IT NEVER HAPPENED -------------- ¶2. (C) Emboff visited the home of Yklymova and her grandmother on July 8, nearly a year after the last such visit, in August 2006. In contrast to previous visits, there were no surveillance cars posted outside Yklymova,s residence in either direction. Yklymova greeted emboff with news that authorities had returned her passport on April 23 with no explanation. She had bought a ticket to Sweden via Istanbul and was scheduled to travel with her grandmother on Turkish Airlines at 4:00 am on July 12. She has sold the family house and all her belongings, and her mother will meet her in Istanbul. In response to emboff's offer to escort her to the airport, Yklymova recommended against this but promised to text message or call emboff once the plane,s engines start, at latest. Yklymova told Emboff that she knows others in Turkmenistan have been arrested even after having boarded a flight. ¶3. (C) She has made "hundreds" of visits to Ashgabat since regaining her passport, though she has expressly avoided embassies and foreigners. Emboff kept the house call short -- about 15 minutes -- although Yklymova said she was no longer afraid and did not hurry Emboff's departure. Yklymova remains cautiously optimistic that she will be allowed to leave, but sought reassurance or a "piece of paper" from Emboff proving her ability to leave the country. Emboff had to tell her that, although the embassy had received assurances that she would be allowed to leave, the Government of Turkmenistan had not provided these assurances in writing. ¶4. (C) After Emboff's last such visit (reftel),Yklymova reported that she was detained at police headquarters for three days without explanation. She was ASHGABAT 00000698 002 OF 002 again detained for three days during the Halk Maslahaty session in Mary in late March and again in April -- again with no explanation. She was not mistreated during these detentions. Authorities have ordered her to avoid contact with foreigners, not to give any interviews and to "drop the matter" of her house arrest. MORE GOOD NEWS FOR YKLYMOV FAMILY? -------------- ¶5. (C) Yklymova reported the authorities could not confirm her ability to leave the country but they suggested that "good fortune" awaited her relatives on/around October 2007 (the date of the annual amnesty; last year's amnesty resulted in the release of over 10,000 prisoners); she assumed this meant her three uncles would be released but she asked if there has been any word about them (she doesn't know if they are still alive). Yklymova's brother-in-law, Dovlet Niyazdurdiyev, remained in prison and, according to Yklymova, was ailing. For the first time, his mother was permitted to take him food and medicine and was granted an overnight stay with him in late June 2007. COMMENT -------------- ¶6. (C) Yklymova stated that she believed that international diplomatic involvement in her case helped prevent further abuse by the host government. Post awaits word that, at the very least, Yklymova has successfully departed Turkmenistan, but is encouraged by the fact that the host government is following through on its oral assurances to the embassy that some people's names, at least, have been removed from the black list. Post will seek to pass additional names to see whether these, too, will be removed; if so, this may be evidence that the government, indeed, is seeking to walk back from its travel ban. End Comment. HOAGLAND