Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ASTANA1466
2007-05-30 00:16:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Astana
Cable title:  

KAZAKHSTAN: AUTHORITIES PURSUE RAKHAT ALIYEV

Tags:  PGOV PHUM PREL KZ 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO9355
PP RUEHDBU
DE RUEHTA #1466/01 1500016
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 300016Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY ASTANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9595
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY 0187
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY 0035
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE PRIORITY 1750
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY 0041
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 2214
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC//SCA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY/ 9596
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASTANA 001466 

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DEPT FOR SCA/CEN (M. O'MARA)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/29/2017
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KZ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: AUTHORITIES PURSUE RAKHAT ALIYEV

REF: ASTANA 1415

Classified By: A/DCM Deborah Mennuti, reasons 1.4 (B) and (D).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASTANA 001466

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DEPT FOR SCA/CEN (M. O'MARA)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/29/2017
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KZ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: AUTHORITIES PURSUE RAKHAT ALIYEV

REF: ASTANA 1415

Classified By: A/DCM Deborah Mennuti, reasons 1.4 (B) and (D).


1. (C) Summary: In the wake of the May 23 announcement of a
criminal investigation involving presidential son-in-law
Rakhat Aliyev, Kazakhstani authorities have moved quickly to
curtail Aliyev's ability to maneuver and to influence public
opinion. President Nazarbayev fired Aliyev from his
ambassadorial post in Vienna, an international warrant has
been issued for his arrest on kidnapping charges, and a team
of Kazakhstani law enforcement officials is in Austria to
seek his return to Kazakhstan. Aliyev's KTK television
station and the weekly Karavan newspaper have been suspended
for three months. More of Aliyev's allies, including the
head of the Almaty Financial Police and a relative, have been
questioned by the authorities. Aliyev continues to fight
back in public, issuing statements on May 26 and 28 implying
that he was being persecuted for his political activities and
accusing Nazarbayev of "repressions." End summary.

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Aliyev Fired, Arrest Warrant Issued
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2. (U) After opening a criminal investigation on May 23
against Rakhat Aliyev and two associates in the mid-January
kidnapping of two Nurbank officials (reftel),the Kazakhstani
authorities quickly moved to strip him of his official
position and seek his arrest. President Nazarbayev signed an
order firing Rakhat Aliyev from his post as ambassador to
Austria and the OSCE on May 26. On May 28, Ministry of
Internal Affairs spokesman Kozhakhmetov announced that an
international warrant had been issued for Aliyev's arrest,
and that a team led by a deputy procurator general and
including Kazakhstani Interpol representatives was in Vienna
to pursue the matter. Kozhakhmetov said that an Interpol
"red notice" had been issued in case Aliyev attempted to flee
Austria.


3. (C) Serzhan Abdykarimov, director of the MFA's Europe and
North America Department, called A/DCM on May 29 to ensure
that the U.S. was aware that Aliyev had been fired and was
the subject of an Interpol warrant. He added that the MFA

understood that before being fired Aliyev had requested a
meeting with unspecified U.S. officials in Vienna. "In light
of those developments," Abdykarimov said, "we would ask that
you weigh carefully the expediency of such a meeting." He
reported that Deputy Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov had
gone to Vienna to personally supervise the operations of the
embassy. (Note: Abdykarimov, the son of former State
Secretary Oralbay Abdykarimov, has close ties to Aliyev; he

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worked for Aliyev in Vienna and received his current position
when Aliyev became Deputy Foreign Minister in 2005. He
nevertheless delivered the message firmly. End note.)

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Media Outlets Closed
--------------


4. (U) Late on May 24, the KTK television channel was pulled
from the air, and publication of the weekly newspaper Karavan
was suspended for three months. Aliyev's Kazakhstan Today
news agency reported that the suspensions were based on
violations of the Language Law, which requires mass media to
report 50/50 in Russian and Kazakh. The Ministry of Interior
had previously warned Aliyev's news outlets not to publish
information related to the Nurbank case. KTK is still off
the air and Karavan did not publish on May 25 as it normally
would, but Kazakhstan Today continues to operate and the
gazeta.kz website has posted statements from Aliyev.

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Relatives and Associates Under Scrutiny
--------------


5. (U) MVD spokesman Kozhahkmetov confirmed to the press on
May 28 that an MVD team had searched Aliyev's house in Almaty
as well as the house of his father, Mukhtar Aliyev.
Kozhakhmetov stressed that the searches were legal, were
carried out under the supervision of the procuracy, and were
witnessed by Aliyev's relatives and associates. Although he
would not disclose what had been discovered during the
searches, Kozhakhmetov said that Aliyev is suspected of
running an organized criminal group that had carried out a

ASTANA 00001466 002 OF 002


series of economic crimes and kidnappings. Using extortion
and fake documents, the group had taken administrative
buildings, land, and businesses, Kozhakhmetov said.


6. (U) The head of the Almaty department of the Financial
Police, Vladimir Kurbatov, was detained for questioning by
the Procuracy and the Committee for National Security (KNB)
on May 24. On May 26, the press reported that Kurbatov had
been questioned about the Nurbank case and then released, but
would be questioned further.


7. (SBU) An individual who identified himself as a
Lebanese-American and "Rakhat Aliyev's best friend" (and the
brother of Aliyev's brother-in-law) contacted post's duty
officer on May 26 to report that the Ministry of Internal
Affairs had asked him to come in for questioning. He asked
if an Embassy representative would accompany him. (Note: We
informed him that consular access is generally afforded only
to those in custody, and that it would be advisable to be
accompanied by a lawyer at the questioning. End note.)

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Aliyev Implies Political Persecution
--------------


8. (SBU) Thus far Aliyev is not backing down. On May 26 he
posted a statement on gazeta.kz and other internet sites he
controls saying that "I will always be in politics. I will
make every effort to prevent the country from turning back to
the totalitarian Soviet past. I know that I have a huge
number of supporters in my country. I am sure that the
future will be ours." In what was widely described by the
media as an attempt to attribute political motives to the
charges against him, Aliyev claimed that "several months ago
I told Nursultan Abishevich (Nazarbayev) that I had decided
to run for president in 2012." Aliyev followed that up with
a lengthy posting on the geo.kz website on May 28 in which he
accused Nazarbayev, Interior Minister Mukhamedzhanov, and
Almaty mayor Tasmagambetov of orchestrating the actions
against him. "The president has stopped being the garantor
of the Constitution," Aliyev alleged; "repressions are under
way." Claiming that no true political opposition exists in
Kazakhstan, Aliyev said that the country needs a political
movement with supporters adhering to ideas rather than a
single leader. "But if the Constitution can be changed as it
was last week -- without prior public discussion, unanimously
after only a few minutes -- then there is no guarantee that
there will be elections in 2012."

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


9. (C) Comment: The actions of the Kazakhstani authorities
come as no surprise and have clearly been sanctioned by
President Nazarbayev himself. While most of the steps taken
by law enforcement appear justified by the charges against
Aliyev, the GOK crossed a line by shutting down two major
media outlets without due process or clear grounds. When
asked for comment by Reuters and Kazakhstan Today, post
replied that "we are disappointed in the decision by an
Almaty court ordering the independently owned television
station KTK and newspaper Karavan to cease publishing for
three monts. The right to freely communicate ideas and
opinions is fundamental to democracy. The public has the
right to hear diverse points of view, even if those views
differ from those of the government or may be consdiered
offensive by some. We call on the Government of Kazakhstan
to honor its commitments to democratic reform and freedom of
speech." End comment.
GILMER