TURKMENISTAN: TRAVEL BAN FOR ORAZOV FAMILY

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 001527 SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/24/2018 TAGS: PGOV PHUM TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: TRAVEL BAN FOR ORAZOV FAMILY MEMBERS CONTINUES REF: A. ASHGABAT 0780 ¶B. 07 ASHGABAT 1377 Classified By: Charge Richard M. Miles for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) On November 14, Svetlana Orazova, sister of opposition activist Khudayberdiy Orazov, who is resident overseas, met with poloff to discuss the family's continuing inability to depart Turkmenistan. Orazova said at present, her husband, Ovez Annayev, is in immediate need of medical care for treatment of ischemia of the heart. She expressed concern that his condition was becoming worse. According to Orazova, doctors in Turkmenistan cannot and do not want to treat him because they are afraid of MNB retaliation. In May 2007, Annayev was permitted to travel to Moscow to initiate medical care for his heart condition. However, when he returned to Ashgabat for a week in June 2008, authorities barred his return to Moscow to continue treatment, and he has been in Turkmenistan since then. ¶2. (C) She indicated that her family had sent letters this year to the border service, Ministry of National Security, migration service, and to President Berdimuhamedov, but none brought a response. She also filed a case against the State Service for the Registration of Foreign Citizens for illegally barring their travel. All court judgments were against the family and all their requests for inquiry were refused. She said that she had also contacted the OSCE Center and the Russian Embassy, but that neither received responses from the MFA on the case. ¶3. (C) COMMENT: The family's continued travel ban suggests that there has been little change in the government's hardline against anti-government activists overseas. Post will raise Annayev's case with the Turkmenistan government. END COMMENT. MILES