TURKMENISTAN: AUTHORITIES HARASSING RFE/RL

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 000490 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/18/2018 TAGS: PGOV PINR PHUM TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: AUTHORITIES HARASSING RFE/RL REPORTERS' FAMILIES REF: ASHGABAT 0120 CLASSIFIED BY: CDA RICHARD E. HOAGLAND: 1.4 (B),(D) ¶1. (C) On April 16 and 18, RFE/RL reporter Halmurat Gulychdurdiyev updated Post on current pressures by the government against him and another reporter to discourage them from reporting for RFE/RL. Gulychdurdiyev said harassment of RFE/RL reporters was intensifying again, although it had abated after our intervention with the president in January. This time, the authorities are also pressuring family members when the reporters don't toe the line. Osman Halliyev, the reporter in Turkmenabat whose family has been a subject of harassment recently, told Gulychdurdiyev that last week his son, who was studying in Ashgabat at the Azadi Language Institute, was expelled without explanation. This followed threats from security service authorities who told the elder Halliyev his family would pay if he did not stop reporting for RFE/RL. Gulychdurdiyev said that Osman Halliyev,s reporting had focused on government mismanagement in the course of this year's spring seeding in Lebap province. ¶2. (C) One reason for the increased attention may be the reporters' use of text messaging capabilities on their cell phones. Gulychdurdiyev said that when he and his fellow reporters want to report news events quickly, they are able to send text messages within seconds to RFE/RL offices in Prague. (NOTE: This kind of real-time communication is likely outpacing security authorities' capacity to impede the journalists' transmissions of report. Local authorities are likely frustrated they have been unable to close the information window. END NOTE.) ¶3. (C) Harassment of family members took a personal turn this week for Gulychdurdiyev himself as well. His son's wedding was to have been at an Ashgabat restaurant on April 20, but he learned on April 17 that representatives of the Ministry of National Security (MNB,successor to the KGB) went to the restaurant and told the manager to cancel the event. His family had to reschedule the event for April 21 at a different restaurant. In addition, he said that MNB representatives had begun harassing his son's fiance and her family, telling them that Gylychdurdiyev's family members are "enemies of the state." They tried, but without success, to pressure the young woman's family to call off the wedding. MNB officers also went to the intended bride's place of work and questioned her boss about her work history and practices. Gulychdurdiyev himself seemed amazed that authorities have taken this much interest in him. He said he knew they were "low," but said this kind of behavior from government officials makes him feel ashamed to call them fellow countrymen. ¶4. (C) COMMENT: Authorities might be harassing the reporters because they are quickly and effectively disseminating details of the economic problems in the country that contradict the reformist image the government wants to project. The MNB is probably frustrated it cannot stop the reporters' quick data transmission out of the country. While the reporters themselves might be willing to put up with some degree of harassment, pressure on family members significantly ups the ante and might cause some of them to have second thoughts. RFE/RL reporters could be specially targeted because the security services view RFE-RL as the voice of the opposition. END COMMENT. HOAGLAND