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