Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08ASHGABAT586
2008-05-07 06:15:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:
TURKMENISTAN: MAY 6 PRISONER PARDON DECREE
how-toVZCZCXRO7019 PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHVK RUEHYG DE RUEHAH #0586 1280615 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 070615Z MAY 08 FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0760 INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 3740 RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 1558 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 1425 RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL PRIORITY 1994 RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE PRIORITY 2496 RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY
UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000586
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN; DRL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: MAY 6 PRISONER PARDON DECREE
REVEALS NO NAMES OF INTEREST
UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000586
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN; DRL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: MAY 6 PRISONER PARDON DECREE
REVEALS NO NAMES OF INTEREST
1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet.
2. (U) The May 6 edition of Neytralniy Turkmenistan
published the presidential order pardoning another group of
prisoners in honor of the Victory Day holiday on May 9. Post
reviewed the list of those released, and of the 908 names
listed, identified no prisoners of interest. Colleagues at
the OSCE Centre also reviewed the list, with similar results.
The vast majority of those released appear to have been
petty criminals sentenced in 2007 or 2008.
3. (U) Six persons on the list were sentenced in 2003 or
2002, and one name was included on the list without
information on the date of his sentencing (Arslan
Nurmuhammedov, convicted by Kopetdag district court of
Ashgabat city). Earlier press statements had indicated that
some foreign prisoners would be pardoned. However, as is
traditional, their names were not included in the list.
Therefore, we do not know how many foreign citizens were
freed.
4. (SBU) The two journalists, Hajiyev and Amanklichev, who
along with Ogulsapar Muradova were jailed in late 2006, were
not on the list. Nor did we find the names of remaining
Jehovah's Witness conscientious objectors Ashirgeldiyev or
Shakhmuradov--both still serving suspended sentences. The
name of former Turkmen ambassador to the OSCE, Batyr Berdiev,
was likewise absent.
5. (SBU) COMMENT: President Berdimuhamedov is carrying out
his promise to release prisoners multiple times throughout
the year instead of following Niyazov's annual pardoning
tradition. Nevertheless, it would be a further step in the
right direction if some of the people jailed in 2003 who were
simply relatives of someone involved in the 2002 attack on
President Niyazov's motorcade, or some of the more
high-profile people like those mentioned above, were added to
future amnesty lists. END COMMENT.
CURRAN
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN; DRL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: MAY 6 PRISONER PARDON DECREE
REVEALS NO NAMES OF INTEREST
1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet.
2. (U) The May 6 edition of Neytralniy Turkmenistan
published the presidential order pardoning another group of
prisoners in honor of the Victory Day holiday on May 9. Post
reviewed the list of those released, and of the 908 names
listed, identified no prisoners of interest. Colleagues at
the OSCE Centre also reviewed the list, with similar results.
The vast majority of those released appear to have been
petty criminals sentenced in 2007 or 2008.
3. (U) Six persons on the list were sentenced in 2003 or
2002, and one name was included on the list without
information on the date of his sentencing (Arslan
Nurmuhammedov, convicted by Kopetdag district court of
Ashgabat city). Earlier press statements had indicated that
some foreign prisoners would be pardoned. However, as is
traditional, their names were not included in the list.
Therefore, we do not know how many foreign citizens were
freed.
4. (SBU) The two journalists, Hajiyev and Amanklichev, who
along with Ogulsapar Muradova were jailed in late 2006, were
not on the list. Nor did we find the names of remaining
Jehovah's Witness conscientious objectors Ashirgeldiyev or
Shakhmuradov--both still serving suspended sentences. The
name of former Turkmen ambassador to the OSCE, Batyr Berdiev,
was likewise absent.
5. (SBU) COMMENT: President Berdimuhamedov is carrying out
his promise to release prisoners multiple times throughout
the year instead of following Niyazov's annual pardoning
tradition. Nevertheless, it would be a further step in the
right direction if some of the people jailed in 2003 who were
simply relatives of someone involved in the 2002 attack on
President Niyazov's motorcade, or some of the more
high-profile people like those mentioned above, were added to
future amnesty lists. END COMMENT.
CURRAN