Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ASTANA1033
2007-04-20 11:13:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Astana
Cable title:  

KAZAKHSTAN: ALMATY NOTES, MARCH - APRIL 2007

Tags:  PGOV PHUM PREL KZ 
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VZCZCXRO1998
RR RUEHAST RUEHDBU
DE RUEHTA #1033/01 1101113
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 201113Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY ASTANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9169
INFO RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 1718
RUEHEK/AMEMBASSY BISHKEK 7942
RUEHNT/AMEMBASSY TASHKENT 7876
RUEHAH/AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT 7149
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 2090
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 1397
RUEHAST/USOFFICE ALMATY
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 2196
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ASTANA 001033 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KZ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: ALMATY NOTES, MARCH - APRIL 2007

REF: Astana 834

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ASTANA 001033

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KZ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: ALMATY NOTES, MARCH - APRIL 2007

REF: Astana 834


1. (U) The "Almaty Notes" series is intended to maintain focus on
developments in civil society, the media, and the opposition in
Kazakhstan's "southern capital" following the move of the Embassy to
Astana.

Aftermath of the Conflict in Kazatkom
--------------


2. (U) Following the conflict between Kazakhs and Chechens in
Kazatkom (reftel),some mass media published articles blaming the
government and Chechens for the conflict. For example, MP Alikhan
Baymenov was quoted in the Zhas Qazaq newspaper on March 30 as
stating that the "Makhmakhanovs had connections among those who
exploit the country's subsoil resources. Wealthy people exploit
organized criminal rings for their purposes. A member of the
Makhmakhanov family is reportedly suspected of murder." In the same
issue, another MP, Nurtay Sabilyanov, criticized the leader of the
Chechen community in Kazakhstan, Akhmed Muradov, who allegedly
placed the blame on Kazakhs. Sabilyanov said "What future are we
facing if such individuals sit in the Senate?" referring to
President Nazarbayev's recent recommendation to reserve some seats
in the Senate for representatives of ethnic minorities.


3. (U) On April 5, members of the "Bolashak" (Future) national youth
movement attempted to organize a mass action by placing a wreath to
the tomb of Bakytzhan Bugutov, who died in the Kazatkom conflict.
The Almaty police prevented the action.


4. (U) The government has taken some measures to put an end to
heated discussions of the Kazatkom conflict and to prevent any
negative consequences. On April 4, Vice Minister of Interior Alik
Shpekbayev said in an interview with the Liter daily that "the
conflict was of regular and criminal nature, without underlying
inter-ethnic causes. Some destructive forces elevate regular
quarrels and scuffles between representatives of various ethnic
groups to the level of deteriorating interethnic relations. It is
all common jealousy of the Makhmakhanovs' wealth." On April 5, the
Procurator General made a statement warning owners and
editor-in-chiefs of mass media outlets against publishing,
broadcasting and placing materials aimed at inciting social and
ethnic hatred and insulting other citizens' dignity and honor.


Reporter who Covered Kazatkom Missing
--------------


5. (U) On April 18, media freedom advocates held a press conference
in Almaty to announce that newspaper reporter Oralgaisha
Zhabagtai-kyzy had been missing since March 30. Zhabagtai-kyzy, who
worked for the "Zakon i Pravosudiye" weekly newspaper based in
Astana, had written an article on the conflict between Kazakhs and
Chechens in Malovodnoye village (reftel). The article was entitled
"Bloody Lawless Action, or Who is Behind the Makhmakhalovs?" In it,
she reported that Vita Makhmakhalov was a suspect in the murder of a
criminal leader who had allegedly blackmailed the heads of the
Kazakhmys firm in Zhezkazhgan. Her brother and a colleague stated
during the press conference that Zhabagtai-kyzy had received
threatening phone calls from people with Caucasian accents after the
article was published.


6. (SBU) On the margins of the press conference, a local reporter
speculated to PA FSN that the leadership of Kazakhmys (ethnic
Koreans said to be close to President Nazarbayev) ordered Vita
Makhmakhalov to kill Sagit Shakputov, the alleged blackmailer in
Zhezkazhgan, and were protecting him from prosecution. The
reporter concluded that the conflict in Kazatkom was revenge by
Shakputov's criminal associates rather than an interethnic dispute.
He also said that Zhabagtai-kyzy had likely been killed.


Survey on Inter-Ethnic Relations
--------------


7. (SBU) In November 2006, the Association of Sociologists and
Political Scientists conducted a survey of public opinion on
inter-ethnic relations in Kazakhstan. According to the survey, the
number of people who expressed concerns about inter-ethnic relations
has increased by 1.6 times: 39.5% compared to 25.3% in 2005.
Non-Kazakhs most often expressed these concerns. Answers to other
questions also pointed toward deteriorating inter-ethnic relations.
The number of people who are ready to fight to defend the interests
of their ethnic group has doubled in comparison with 2003. Every
fifth Kazakhs polled shared this attitude. The perception of the
risk of civil war on ethnic grounds has increased by 1.8 times: from

ASTANA 00001033 002 OF 003


17.7% in 2003 to 32.6% in 2006. The pollsters concluded that the
data means that "Kazakhstan is, if not on the verge of inter-ethnic
politic conflict, dangerously close to it." (Comment: Post
considers the conclusion to be highly exaggerated.) (Survey of
Association of Sociologists and Political Scientists, March 28)

Trial of "Shanyrak Defenders" Continues
--------------


8. (U) The trial of 25 "Shanyrak Defenders" is continuing in the
Almaty City court. At the hearing on March 27, attended by Pol FSN,
the court interrogated two witnesses, Auezov district court bailiffs
Gulshat Zhansarova and Talgat Tolebayev. Both testified that they
had been eyewitnesses of the clashes between the local residents and
the police on July 14, 2006, in the village of Shanyrak, but had
seen none of the defenders standing trial. Neither of the bailiffs
saw the hostage taking because they stayed away from the area of
conflict. The lawyers tried to prove that the event on July 14,
2006 was not a demolition campaign, but a police punitive action
against the residents and that the bailiffs were invited to portray
it to the public as demolition.


9. (SBU) Several political activists, including Dos Koshim of the
"Ult Tagdyry" (Nation's Future) nationalist movement, Asylbek
Kozhakhmetov of the Alga party, and Burikhan Nurmukhamedov of the Ak
Zhol party, participated in the proceedings as public defenders.
According to Koshim, the prosecution has no strong evidence against
the defenders. A police cameraman videotaped the clashes. However,
because the cameraman was allegedly frightened the tape came out of
poor quality and it does not show the hostage taking. In a private
conversation with Pol FSN, Koshim reported that one the principal
witnesses in this case, Almaty City deputy chief bailiff Khajimurat
Makhmakhanov was dead. Makhmakhanov was the official who organized
the demolition campaign in Shanyrak. He was reportedly killed
during a violent interethnic incident in the village of Kazatkom,
Almaty Oblast, between Kazakhs and Chechens on March 18.


10. (U) At the March 29 hearing, the five Shanyrak defenders accused
of burning the policeman denied their guilt. According to the
accused, they intended to burn not the policeman, but themselves in
a protest against the demolition. The defenders allegedly do not
know how it happened. The defense is trying to drag out the trial.
(Caravan weekly, March 30)

Campaign Against Almatyzher
--------------


11. (U) "The arbitrariness and impunity of the officials involved in
the Bakay and Shanyrak demolition campaigns created a negative
trend, which was extended throughout the country," Dos Koshim stated
at a press conference in Almaty on March 28. "As a result, in every
region of Kazakhstan local authorities along with organizations like
'Almatyzher' and private construction companies use their own
discretion toward ordinary people seizing their lands and houses for
alleged 'state purposes.' By these actions, local authorities and
the construction companies the authorities back contribute to
destabilization of political situation through the country," Koshim
said in his statement. (Kazakhstan Today news agency, March 28)


12. (U) On March 30, about 30 people -- including Socialist
Resistance activists -- picketed the office of Almatyzher in Almaty.
Pol FSN observed the rally. Two young people were holding a banner
reading "Almatyzher is the Enemy of the People." The leader of
Socialist Resistance Aynur Kurmanov and Sakhib Zhanabayeva of the
Workers' Movement entered the office to hand over their petition.
After a short time the acting head of Almatyzher came out of the
office and talked to the protesters for half an hour. About two
dozen policemen watched the rally. As participants dispersed, the
police followed Aynur Kurmanov and his friends. A block from
Almatyzher's office the police detained Kurmanov and took him away.



13. (U) According to a participant of the rally, Alikhan Ramazanov,
Kurmanov spent a night in the police station. The next day the
Inter-district Administrative Court of Almaty tried Kurmanov and
fined him 11,000 tenge ($90) for organizing an unsanctioned rally.


By-Elections to Almaty Precinct Election Commissions
-------------- --------------


14. (U) On April 4 two opposition parties, True Ak Zhol and National
Social Democratic Party, held a press conference in Almaty to
express their outrage by the results of the recent by-elections to
Almaty precinct election commissions. Zharmakhan Tuyakbay, Bulat

ASTANA 00001033 003 OF 003


Abilov and Oraz Zhandosov maintained that the elections were a
farce. Out of 821 vacant seats, 197 were won by Adilet, 81 by Nur
Otan, 151 by Patriots Party, 96 by Rukhaniyat, 126 by Auyl, 145 by
the People's Communists, 4 by Ak Zhol, 4 by the Communists, 14 by
the Social Democrats, and 3 by True Ak Zhol. The opposition
alleged that the members of the Almaty City Maslikhat, the majority
of whom are Nur Otan members, were tasked with preventing the
opposition party representatives from getting control over the
electoral process.


15. (U) As illustration of the improbability of the election
results, Abilov noted that the Rukhaniyat party received only 752
votes in Almaty city in the 2004 parliamentary elections but now
holds 335 seats on city election commissions. Abilov claimed that
"we have looked for Rukhaniyat's office in Almaty for two days and
failed to find it. The same is true with other political parties.
And all these 'ghost-parties' exist to fill election commission
seats and then to falsify election results," Abilov said. Zhandosov
mentioned that the authorities had so far failed to remove members
of the former Asar, Agrarian and Civic parties, which had merged
with Otan, from election commissions as was required by the law.

Police Harassing Krishna Community
--------------


16. (U) The police of Tekeli City in Almaty Oblast on March 27
disrupted a religious meeting of the local Krishna community in a
private apartment. A representative of the local administration
announced the meeting illegal as the community had no registration
at the city level. All fourteen participants of the meeting were
taken to the local police office and kept there for two hours. The
community members were reportedly threatened with reprisals, their
passport data was recorded and then they were set free.
(www.kazakhkrishna.com, March 29)

The Village Invites Young People
--------------


17. (U) On March 28 in the Republican Palace of Almaty, the oblast
administration organized a propaganda campaign "The Village Invites
Young People" to persuade young people to move to villages.
Nowadays the villages lack both financing and ambitious young
people. In recent years young people have been moving from rural
areas to big cities seeking jobs and better opportunities.


18. (U) In her comments on the campaign, Irina Mednikova of Youth
Information Service NGO cited some young people saying that the
campaign was an attempt of authorities to herd them into villages to
prevent their involvement in politics. (Liter daily, March 28)

ORDWAY