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