Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09ASHGABAT1565
2009-12-04 13:40:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:  

TURKMEN PRESIDENT PARDONS 3,934 PRISONERS FOR

Tags:  PHUM PGOV KCRIM TX 
pdf how-to read a cable
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DE RUEHAH #1565/01 3381340
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
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FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3845
INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
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RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
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RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 4137
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 001565 

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KCRIM TX
SUBJECT: TURKMEN PRESIDENT PARDONS 3,934 PRISONERS FOR
NEUTRALITY DAY

ASHGABAT 00001565 001.2 OF 002


UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 001565

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KCRIM TX
SUBJECT: TURKMEN PRESIDENT PARDONS 3,934 PRISONERS FOR
NEUTRALITY DAY

ASHGABAT 00001565 001.2 OF 002



1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for Internet
distribution.


2. (SBU) SUMMARY. At a recent session of the State
Security Council, for the occasion of Neutrality Day,
President Berdimuhamedov signed a decree pardoning 3,934
prisoners. These individuals, including 19 foreigners,
have been released from prison and, in some cases, from
additional punishment in the form of internal exile. The
pardon did not include any political prisoners. END
SUMMARY.

NEUTRALITY DAY PARDONING


3. (SBU) At the December 2 session of the State Security
Council, Berdimuhamedov signed a decree pardoning
prisoners on the occasion of the upcoming Neutrality Day
holiday on December 12. Noting that another act of
pardoning is a tribute to humane Turkmen traditions, the
president announced that 3,934 convicts, including 19
foreigners, will return to their homes for the holiday.
Having signed the decree on pardoning, Berdimuhamedov
instructed relevant officials to take all measures to
enable pardoned persons to celebrate the holiday at their
homes among their families. Thus, according to the
presidential decree, 3,934 persons have been pardoned,
released from further serving their prison sentences and
also from additional punishment in the form of internal
exile.

THE PARDONING STATISTICS


4. (SBU) Out of the total 3,934 persons pardoned by the
Presidential decree, the names of 3,915 persons were
published in December 3rd issues of local newspapers.
The remaining 19 persons were foreigners and their names
are normally not published. Only 252 out of 3,915
published names are those who were convicted before 2008-
2009, which is 6.4 percent. The figure includes one
person convicted in 2000, one in 2001, three in 2002, 17
in 2003, 12 in 2004, 16 in 2005, 17 in 2006, and 185 in

2007. In terms of gender, among the 3,915 names
published, 3,808 are men and 107 are women. Post found
no names of individuals of concern on the list, neither
those convicted for alleged involvement in November 2002
assassination attempt on President Niyazov, nor persons
of individual human rights concern.

BACKGROUND


5. (SBU) The Neutrality Day pardoning is this year's
third. The first one came ahead of National Flag Day, a
holiday marked on February 19, and the second one
happened this fall on the occasion of Gadyr Gijesi (Night
of Omnipotence),the final night of the Muslim fasting
month of Ramadan. In December 1999, then President
Saparmurat Niyazov issued a decree ordering official
pardoning to mark Gadyr Gijesi, and during his term of
office those were the country's only annual pardonings.
President Berdimuhamedov conducts pardonings of smaller
numbers of prisoners several times a year on the occasion
of significant events, such as Neutrality Day.


6. (SBU) COMMENT. Although the list does not state what
crime a person was charged for, according to many local
residents, the list predominantly consists of those
persons who committed petty crimes in 2008 and 2009.
While the act of pardoning is welcomed by many as a
humanitarian act, particularly in light of horrendous
prison conditions, the repeated failure of such pardons
to include political prisoners indicates the limits of
the current Turkmen leadership's willingness to

ASHGABAT 00001565 002.4 OF 002


forgive and forget. END COMMENT.

ECKSTROM