ERK LEADER DESCRIBES RELATIONSHIP WITH SLAIN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TASHKENT 001889

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN AND DRL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2017
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KG UZ
SUBJECT: ERK LEADER DESCRIBES RELATIONSHIP WITH SLAIN
JOURNALIST ALISHER SAIPOV

REF: A. A) TASHKENT 1888

B. B) TASHKENT 1887

C. C) BISHKEK 1320

D. D) TASHKENT 1855

Classified By: POLOFF R. FITZMAURICE FOR REASONS 1.4 (B, D).


1. (C) Summary: On October 26, Erk political opposition
party leader Atanazar Arif described to poloff Erk's
relationship with journalist Alisher Saipov, who was murdered
on October 24 in Osh, Kyrgyzstan (ref C). According to Arif,
Saipov was not an official member of Erk, but had long
standing ties with the organization. Separately, an opinion
piece criticizing accusations that Uzbek authorities were
involved in the killing appeared on an independent website
whose operator is believed to have contacts with Uzbek
security services, and the MFA demarched Ambassador October
30, condemning Saipov's murder (ref B). End summary.

LONG-STANDING TIES WITH ERK
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2. (C) Saipov, an ethnic Uzbek and Kyrgyz citizen from Osh,
Kyrgyzstan, reportedly first contacted Arif and Erk leader
Muhammad Solikh (who has been in exile from Uzbekistan since
1992) via email while still studying journalism in Osh. Both
Arif and Solikh were impressed by Saipov's letters and his
apparent commitment to democratization in Uzbekistan. Arif
later invited Saipov to his home in Tashkent in 2002, and
donated to him his old computer, with which Saipov reportedly
launched his journalistic career.

INTERNATIONAL TRAVELS; WORK WITH ANDIJON REFUGEES
-------------- --------------


3. (C) Saipov was later invited to meet Solikh and Arif in
Istanbul and in Europe. According to Arif, Saipov also
reportedly traveled to Pakistan and Iran to meet religious
opposition figures, including Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
(IMU) leader Tahir Yuldashev (Comment: While targeted
disinformation is a possibility, human rights activists and
opposition members have in the past had contact with families
of IMU recruits, so the claim is not inconceivable. End
comment.) Arif said that by the time of his death, Saipov's
office in Osh had become "one of the major centers" of
opposition to President Karimov. Arif said that Saipov also
interviewed many of the Andijon refugees who fled to
Kyrgyzstan in 2005. According to Arif, Saipov interviewed
more than 500 refugees and closely followed their cases.

SMUGGLING ERK LITERATURE AND OWN NEWSPAPER INTO UZBEKISTAN
-------------- --------------


4. (C) Arif reported that Saipov was involved in smuggling
Erk literature to Uzbekistan via Osh, most recently this
month, and that he also distributed his own newspaper,
"Siyosat" (Politics),throughout Uzbek territory in the
Ferghana Valley. Saipov also reportedly met frequently with
Erk activists based in Kyrgyzstan.

GOU REACTION TO KILLING
--------------


5. (C) The independent Uzmetronom website posted a letter on
October 27 that looks suspiciously like a government
viewpoint. The letter is from Gennadiy Svintsov, a
correspondent from the government-sanctioned newspaper
Namanganskaya Pravda. Svintsov criticizes accusations that
Uzbek NSS may have been behind the murder, instead suggesting
that the Uzbek opposition might have killed Saipov to frame
the government. Uzmetronom adds that the letter reflects the
view of many citizens of Uzbekistan. Uzmetronom's operator,
Sergei Yezhkov, formerly worked in official media and
maintains communication with Uzbek security services (ref D).



6. (C) Prior to Saipov's killing, the government-controlled

TASHKENT 00001889 002 OF 002


press in Uzbekistan ran several stories critical of the
journalist this year. For example, in a September 6 article
from the pro-government Sngnews.ru website (which was later
reprinted on the government-controlled Press.uz.info website
on October 7),Obidkhon Mamatov from Namangan State
University accused Kyrgyz officials of not taking steps to
stop Saipov and his subversive activities against Uzbekistan.
He further accused Saipov of producing and distributing
"subversive literature" and collaborating with well-known
"terrorists," including Solik and Yuldashev. In a June 16
article on the government-controlled Press-uz.info website,
journalist Janibek Jeenbekov accused Saipov of receiving
financial assistance from the West to "Americanize" residents
of the Ferghana Valley.


7. (C) MFA demarched Ambassador October 30, condemning
Saipov's murder and expressing willingness to work with the
Kyrgyz authorities, if asked, to investigate the crime (ref
B).

COMMENT
--------------


8. (C) Arif has been a reliable contact of the Embassy for
many years and we do not suspect him of collaboration with
Uzbekistan's security services. It is possible, though, that
his report that Saipov traveled to Iran and Pakistan and met
with IMU leader Yuldashev, as well as his report during the
same conversation with poloff that Erk was holding recent
talks with Hizb ut-Tahrir leaders in Istanbul and Moscow (see
ref A),is GOU disinformation intended to tarnish
Uzbekistan's democratic opposition by drawing links between
them and religious extremists. In light of the provocative
nature of this news, we will carefully evaluate any future
communication with and information from Arif.
NORLAND