UZBEKISTAN: EX-POLICE OFFICERS JAILED FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 001305 SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN AND DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/13/2018 TAGS: PHUM KCRM PGOV SOCI UZ SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN: EX-POLICE OFFICERS JAILED FOR KIDNAPPING REF: A. TASHKENT 1257 ¶B. TASHKENT 1163 ¶C. TASHKENT 1258 Classified By: POLOFF R. FITZMAURICE FOR REASONS 1.4 (B, D) ¶1. (C) Summary: In three recent cases, government officials have been punished or tried for alleged wrong-doing. On November 10, the state-controlled Uzbek Television First Channel reported that a group of six former Uzbek police officers from Tashkent were recently convicted of kidnapping a local businessman and sentenced to 16 years' imprisonment. Separately, a local lawyer reported that a trial against four police officers who allegedly beat to death an Angren resident continues in Tashkent. In addition, the MFA reported by diplomatic note on November 7 that a police officer who allegedly poured boiling water on human rights activist Akzam Turgunov had been demoted and reprimanded. While such incidents of official abuse are still brought to trial too infrequently, these cases demonstrate that Uzbek officials are occasionally held responsible for their misdeeds. End summary. UZBEK TV REPORTS POLICE OFFICERS IMPRISONED FOR KIDNAPPING -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) On November 10, the state-controlled Uzbek Television First Channel reported that a group of six former Uzbek police officers from Tashkent were recently convicted of kidnapping a local businessman and sentenced to 16 years' imprisonment. The six police officers - Ortoqali Turdiyev, Ulugbek Mukhammedov, Anarbek Saitov, Mukhtorjon Hayitov, Vohidjon Tojiboyev, and Vasliddin Shamsiyev - allegedly kidnapped Tashkent businessman Nosir Qambarov, threatened him with a knife, and demanded that he pay a 200,000 dollar ransom. The ex-officers reportedly threatened to retaliate against Qambarov's family if he reported the kidnapping to the police. After the kidnappers released Qambarov so that he could collect the ransom, he reportedly went to police, who arrested the kidnappers during a "special operation" conducted in January 2008. The National Security Service (NSS) also allegedly played a role in the kidnappers' arrest. Qambarov's personal driver, Temurkhoja Erkinkhojayev, who allegedly masterminded the kidnapping, was also sentenced to 16 years' imprisonment. ¶3. (C) Embassy's press assistant (protect),who saw the broadcast, observed that it was unclear whether the police ;officers were still in uniform at the time of the kidnapping. She inquired with BBC Monitoring in Tashkent, which issued a summary of the broadcast on November 11, but they also reported that the program's description of the police officers was ambiguous. TRIAL CONTINUES FOR POLICE OFFICERS IN BEATING DEATH -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) Lawyer Rukhiddin Komilov recently reported to poloff that a trial was continuing at the Tashkent regional criminal court for four police officers who were charged with beating and killing Muzaffar Tuychiyev, a 30-year resident of the town of Angren in Tashkent province (ref C). Komilov has been hired to represent Tuychiev's family in the case. He believed that the four police officers were guilty, but suspected that other, unidentified police officers might also have been involved in Tuychiev's killing. He noted that other officers were being currently investigated. He added that a criminal case had been launched against the Angren police department head and the head of its investigation department, both of whom were earlier removed from their positions. He promised to inform poloff of any further developments. OFFICER DEMOTED AND REPRIMANDED FOR ROLE IN TURGUNOV TRIAL -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) In a November 7 diplomatic note to post, the MFA reported that Senior Investigator A. Kutybayev, the police officer who allegedly poured boiling water on human rights activist Akzam Turgunov while he was being held in pre-trial detention in Karakalpakstan this summer, was reprimanded and demoted for his role in the case (Comment: While the diplomatic note acknowledged that the officer was punished for violating the Ministry of Internal Affair's instructions for "protecting and escorting suspects," it also denied that Kutybayev actually poured the boiling water on Turgunov, instead claiming that Kutybayev gave Turgunov a cup of tea, which Turgunov then deliberately poured on his own back to cause an injury. We continue to believe that the government's claims lack merit and that Kutybayev or another investigator most likely poured the boiling water on Turgunov in a failed bid to elicit a coerced confession from him. End comment.) The diplomatic note also repeated the accusations that were made at trial against Turgunov and journalist Salidjahon Abdurakhmanov and denied that the charges against them were politically motivated (Comment: We continue to believe that Karakalpak authorities pursued the cases against both men in retaliation for their human rights and journalistic activities in the region. End comment). The two men were sentenced to ten years' imprisonment during two separate trials in Karakalpakstan in October (ref A and B). The MFA's diplomatic note was a response to a diplomatic note that post submitted on October 27 raising our concerns that both men had been denied due process. COMMENT -------------- ¶6. (C) The Uzbek Television report is credible. Such cases are still brought to court too infrequently, but the sentencing of the six former police officers on kidnapping charges - as well as the continuing trial of the four police officers for allegedly beating to death Tuychiev - shows that Uzbek officials are occasionally held responsible for their misdeeds. While we are naturally disappointed that both Turgunov and Abdurakhmanov continue to languish in Uzbek prisons, we are at least glad to see that the police officer who was allegedly involved in pouring boiling water on Turgunov has been punished (though we of course recognize that he should be fired and prosecuted, not only demoted). The MFA's diplomatic note appears to be another example of typical Uzbek face-saving: authorities seem to understand that the police officer went too far in his treatment of Turgunov, but refuse to directly admit so to us. NORLAND