TURKMENISTAN: CIVIC ACTIVIST FOLLOWS "PARTISAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000941 SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN; DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/27/2019 TAGS: PHUM PGOV KDEM SOCI TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: CIVIC ACTIVIST FOLLOWS "PARTISAN TRAILS" Classified By: Charge Sylvia Reed Curran, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) On July 27, poloff met with civil society activist Natalya Shabunts to discuss her activities and the current situation for rights activists in Turkmenistan. Shabunts has long had ties with the Embassy, including her participation in a 2000 International Visitors Program on civil society, and with the OSCE Center in Ashgabat, which published instructional materials on human rights that she authored. Shabunts has been a social activist since 1993, beginning with the "Dialogue" youth center. Dialogue was closed down in 1998 after it published a book about human rights for young people and teachers. In 2000 and 2001, the OSCE Center published Shabunts' books "Law and Rights" and "Democracy and Justice." Following the introduction in 2003 of the new Law on Public Associations, which prohibited the operation of unregistered organizations, Shabunts was no longer able to operate openly. According to Shabunts, only those who were willing to work with the government were registered. ¶2. (C) Although Shabunts does not work openly, her group, "Civic Dignity," carries out activities in Dashoguz, Turkmenabat, Ashgabat and surrounding Ahal Province. Funding is provided by Soros' Open Society Institute. Shabunts was reluctant to discuss the logistical details of how the group operates, saying only that they follow "partisan paths" and that if the authorities understood how she worked, it would be the end. Announcements about the group's activities are spread by word of mouth. In Turkmenabat, Shabunts cooperates with the Medet Education Center. The Center fields requests for seminars from schools that are unaware of the connection between the Center and Shabunts' group. Shabunts provides the literature and others do the training. Most of the group's members are teachers. About one-third of their work is provided on a volunteer basis. They conduct seminars for youth, students, teachers and ethnic minorities. An upcoming training-the-trainer seminar in August, to be held in Shabunts' Ashgabat apartment, will address the problems of invalids. ¶3. (C) Shabunts' acknowledged that the government is aware of her activities, but "closes its eyes." Officially she "does not exist," instead having "the legal status of a phantom." She felt she is protected by the interest shown by Western embassies and international organizations. She added that while government officials "do not like (her),they respect (her)." While previously Shabunts' was on the foreign travel blacklist, she is now able to travel and, during the past six months, customs officials do not even inspect her luggage. In addition to organizing and supporting seminars, Shabunts often provides consultations to people whose rights have been violated. Again, people find out about her by word of mouth. She likes to conduct consultations over the phone, noting that her calls are monitored by the government and sometimes the problems are resolved quickly following the phone call. During the past year, Shabunts published via the Internet two open letters to President Berdimuhamedov. The first, which discussed the general situation in Turkmenistan, received no response. The second, which addressed government action to ban dual citizenship, a vital issue to many ethnic Slavic residents of Turkmenistan, resulted in an invitation from an official at the Migration Service to discuss the issue. ¶4. (C) COMMENT: Shabunts operates her group as an underground organization, albeit with the tacit permission of the government, which could shut it down at any moment. No doubt this is due to the forcefulness of her personal character combined with the low profile manner in which her group operates, making its limited outreach easier to tolerate. She viewed the interest and support of Western embassies as crucial to her ability to continue. Also indicative of the sad state of human rights activists in Turkmenistan, Shabunts could suggest the name of only one other person currently in Turkmenistan who she would consider a human rights activist, a legacy, she said, of the Niyazov era. END COMMENT. ASHGABAT 00000941 002 OF 002 CURRAN