RED CROSS REDUCES MISSION; TAJIK GOVT PROHIBITS FULL PRISON

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 001086 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM ICRC TI SUBJECT: RED CROSS REDUCES MISSION; TAJIK GOVT PROHIBITS FULL PRISON ACCESS REF: A) 06 DUSHANBE 227; B) 07 DUSHANBE 500; C) 06 DUSHANBE 208 ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: International Committee of the Red Cross will recall its international director and reduce the organization's status from mission to office in fall 2007. The decision is a result of the Tajik government's failure to cooperate with International Committee of the Red Cross and allow its staff full, uninhibited access to the penitentiary system. The Red Cross characterizes Tajikistan's stance on prison access as similar to Sudan, Belarus, and North Korea. END SUMMARY. THE LONG ROAD TO PRISON ACCESS ¶2. (U) For the past three years the International Committee of the Red Cross has struggled to gain full access to the Tajik penitentiary system to monitor the well-being of prisoners and possibly provide humanitarian aid and institutional reform assistance. From January to September 2004, the Red Cross was granted controlled access to the prisons, however, without warning the visits abruptly stopped. Ministry of Justice officials explained to PolOff (REFTEL A) that visits ended because they had not seen any tangible assistance from the Red Cross. (Note: The Red Cross program requires that its staff have unconditional, unlimited access to prison facilities so that they can conduct extensive assessment and monitoring exercises according to standards of International Humanitarian Law. End note.) Since then, the Red Cross has tried to meet with the Ministry of Justice to restart visits. The ministry's line has always been that the Red Cross is free to examine its prisons, but they must call ahead to arrange a meeting time and would be accompanied by a ministry official. ¶3. (U) Beginning in 2007, the Principals' Group, an assembly of chiefs of diplomatic missions and international organizations, attempted to serve as a conduit between the Red Cross and the Tajik government. The group lobbied the Ministry of Justice and the president's office to establish a working group comprised of government officials and international missions to tackle prison reform. The working group's aim would not only be to gain access for the Red Cross and other organizations, but also to revive the government's Penal Reform Plan 2004-2008 and implement a program of humanitarian assistance to prisons and detainees. ¶4. (U) Speaking on behalf of the Principals' Group were the United Nations Tajikistan Office for Peacebuilding Representative and the Ambassador of the United Kingdom. Unfortunately their efforts resulted in no forward movement by the Ministry of Justice. After several attempts to convene the working group, the Tajik officials finally agreed to meet. At the first and only meeting, two Deputy Ministers of Justice, one official from the Ministry of Interior, one from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and one from the President's Office attended. However, none of the Tajik government officials were in a position to make any decisions, rendering the meeting unproductive. ¶5. (SBU) After nearly three years of empty talks with the government, the Red Cross made the decision to reduce its mission. The Principals' Group, disappointed in the Tajik government's lack of cooperation, plans to issue a strongly worded letter to the Ministry of Justice expressing its disappointment that the government's lack of cooperation has forced the Red Cross to reduce its presence. The letter also points out that Tajikistan has harmed its international reputation by not allowing the Red Cross to carry out humanitarian aid. MOVING OUT, MOVING ON ¶6. (U) The current Head of Mission, Alma Ahmadipour, expects to depart Tajikistan at the end of September. On July 17 Ahmadipour notified staff of the reduction. Ahmadipour explained to PolOff at a meeting on July 18 that the International Committee of the Red Cross could not justify financing support staff and equipment given that it is not able to carry out one of its priority assistance programs. Ahmadipour mentions that maintaining international staff is expensive and she should not be in country if she cannot do her job. The International Committee of the Red Cross in Tashkent, Uzbekistan will oversee the Tajikistan office. ¶7. (U) The office will continue to employ approximately eight DUSHANBE 00001086 002 OF 002 staff who will run basic and standard International Committee of the Red Cross programs such as assisting in reestablishing family links, providing technical and financial assistance to the Tajik Red Crescent Society and training volunteers to disseminate information about International Humanitarian Law standards, the Red Cross/Red Crescent movement, and its functions during emergency situations. The organization will also continue providing assistance to an orthopedic center and its affiliated long-term patient rehabilitation facility. ¶8. (U) The Red Cross will sustain a minimal presence in Tajikistan without permanent international staff unless an emergency requires the organization's assistance. If the government decides that it will genuinely cooperate with the Red Cross and allow it access to the penitentiary system according to Red Cross standards, Ahmadipour says that the organization will willingly re-start a program. ¶9. (SBU) COMMENT: Although the Red Cross has informed the Tajik government about its commitment to neutrality and confidentiality, the government's refusal to allow Red Cross SIPDIS access to the penitentiary system is probably based on two concerns. First, the government may fear that the Red Cross would publicly expose poor prison conditions. Media reports tell of high rates of tuberculosis in prisons and anecdotal stories from Embassy sources describe worse conditions (REFTEL B). Secondly, the Deputy Minister of Justice Izatullo Sharipov who is also the head of the penitentiary system does not want the Red Cross to gain access and his influence trumps the Minister of Justice. Sharipov is rumored to be extremely corrupt and heavily involved in narcotics trafficking. As long as he remains in charge of the penitentiary system, the Red Cross is unlikely to gain access (REFTEL C). END COMMENT. JACOBSON