KAZAKHSTAN: NEW LEGAL INSTITUTE DIRECTOR LOOKS FORWARD TO

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASTANA 000434 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR INL/AAE, G/TIP, SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR SOCI KCRM KTIP KZ SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: NEW LEGAL INSTITUTE DIRECTOR LOOKS FORWARD TO CONTINUED TIP COOPERATION REF: ASTANA 0210 ¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet. ¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY: On February 24, INL representatives met with General-Major Serik Yerkenov, the new director of the Ministry of Interior's Karaganda Legal Institute, to discuss his plans for the Study Center on Combating Illegal Migration and Trafficking in Persons and the implementation of the 2009 police training program. Yerkenov is clearly much more interested in working with the international community and the Kazakhstani inter-agency than his predecessor was. He also appears to accept INL as a valuable partner in the development of his Institute and does not view the United States as an interloper in his affairs. Yerkenov's top goal is to prepare his cadets for the future and equip them to effectively deal with modern criminal issues. Based on this first meeting with Yerkenov, we are very upbeat about the prospects for the TIP Center and for INL's cooperation with the Legal Institute. END SUMMARY. SUSTAINABILITY -- TRAINING TRAINERS ¶3. (SBU) General-Major Yerkenov was very positive about the TIP center and the implementation of training programs. Yerkenov pointed out that when setting goals for the TIP Center, one cannot assume that donor assistance will be available forever. He said he is already thinking about a future without donor support and thus wants to concentrate efforts on training trainers. Yerkenov suggested creating a pool of designated trainers from within the Legal Institute who will receive specialized TIP training and be assigned to teach at the TIP Center. Once trainers are identified, they would start receiving training through INL-funded programs in-country and abroad. It was agreed that the first train-the-trainers course will be conducted in May at the TIP Center. INTRODUCING TIP MODULE TO LEGAL CURRICULA ¶4. (SBU) Currently, law school students and cadets at law enforcement academies study TIP only as a subject within criminal law. Educational standards and curricula are established by the Ministry of Education for law schools and by the Ministry of Interior for law enforcement academies. Under existing standards, of the total 6,500 academic hours, only about 150 are allocated for criminal law. Practicing professors estimate that trafficking in persons accounts for only two hours of study. ¶5. (SBU) Yerkenov agrees that two hours is not enough to thoroughly study such a complicated subject as human trafficking. He believes curricula must be revised to include expanded, separate study of human trafficking. However, changing curricula is not an easy process. It may require years of negotiations to push changes through the ministries, since there has to be adequate justification. Yerkenov promised to do his best on this front and suggested that we work together in advocating for his idea. HIS OWN CADETS WILL STUDY TIP ¶6. (SBU) Yerkenov also suggested introducing an additional training course on human trafficking for cadets at his Legal Institute. (NOTE: An additional training course can be added to the approved curriculum by the director of an academy or institute without the approval of the MVD or Ministry of Education. END NOTE.) Yerkenov said he will rely on INL's expertise and assistance in developing the TIP course for the Legal Institute. Once the course is developed, it can be presented to the pool of TIP trainers who will then teach the course to cadets. ¶7. (SBU) COMMENT: Such a course can be developed or borrowed from other countries and revised to meet Kazakhstani needs. INL Moscow, through TRACCC (the Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center),developed a human trafficking module for use at the MVD Academy in Stavropol, Russia. This module has been reviewed by INL Astana and is an adequate model that could be easily revised for Kazakhstan. INL will continue working with the appropriate ministries to advocate for curriculum changes that will affect all educational institutions and will do its best to create ASTANA 00000434 002 OF 002 opportunities for all law school students and students of law enforcement agencies to study trafficking issues thoroughly. END COMMENT. TIP CENTER DEVELOPMENT ¶8. (SBU) Yerkenov also requested further INL assistance in the technical development of the TIP Center, including the establishment of a computer/internet class and language laboratory. INL is working with UNODC Moscow to receive computer-based training programs to be used as additional training and exam tools in a computer class. The language laboratory will be used by professors and students to study English and allow them to attend foreign law enforcement academies. Additionally, Yerkenov hopes to create an anti-TIP library at the TIP center. He is interested in collecting training materials, books, and manuals, including those in English. HIGH HOPES FOR COOPERATION ¶9. (SBU) In the long run, Yerkenov envisions the TIP Center becoming an international training center for Central Asia. This is not a new idea, but Yerkenov appeared much more enthusiastic about such an idea than his predecessor was. Yerkenov also believes that the TIP Center will be far more valuable if training is offered to all agencies, not just the MVD, since cooperation among government agencies plays an important role in the effective investigation of transnational crime. LEGAL STATUS OF TIP CENTER, DORMITORY ¶10. (SBU) Yerkenov also raised the issue of the legal status of the TIP center and its dormitory. Having reviewed internal documents, he discovered that the legal status of the TIP Center is still "undefined." The dormitory, though on the campus of the Legal Institute, does not formally belong to the MVD because necessary paperwork had not been completed. As a result, it is not receiving funding from the MVD. Formally, the building belongs to the local Akimat (government administration),but maintenance costs are being paid from the Legal Institute's budget. Yerkenov said this is an internal problem and promised to fix it to ensure the dormitory receives support from the MVD. A CUP OF TEA WITH THE DIRECTOR ¶11. (SBU) After the meeting, Yerkenov invited INL representatives to have tea with him, during which time he talked in more depth about his background and the reasons for his support of interagency and international cooperation. In 1999, he defended his doctoral dissertation at the Moscow MVD Academy. The subject of his paper was cooperation among law enforcement agencies in CIS countries in the detection and investigation of transnational crimes. Yerkenov was required to receive approval from each CIS country regarding the methods he proposed in the paper. Each country had to determine whether his proposed methods would be acceptable and practical. During this process, he was in contact with senior police officials throughout the CIS. His methodology was accepted by all countries, except for Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. ¶12. (SBU) COMMENT: Yerkenov is clearly much more interested in working with the international community and the Kazakhstani inter-agency than his predecessor. He also appears to accept INL as a valuable partner in the development of his Institute and does not view the United States as an interloper in his affairs. He exudes an aura of thoughtful intelligence and comes across as an academic working to better his institute rather than a long-serving police officer spending his last few years relaxing in a cushy executive suite. Yerkenov's top goal is to prepare his cadets for the future and equip them to effectively deal with modern criminal issues. Based on this first meeting with Yerkenov, we are very upbeat about the prospects for the TIP Center and for INL's cooperation with the Legal Institute. END COMMENT. HOAGLAND