FAMILY OF TURKMEN POLITICAL PRISONER REQUESTS USG

C O N F I D E N T I A L OSLO 000140

SIPDIS

FOR DRL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/02/2019
TAGS: PHUM PREF TX NO
SUBJECT: FAMILY OF TURKMEN POLITICAL PRISONER REQUESTS USG
HELP

Classified By: Political Counselor Kristen Bauer for reasons 1.4(b) and
(d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: The family of jailed Turkmen civil rights
activist Gulgeldy Annaniyazov, living in Norway, has
contacted the Norwegian Helsinki Committee and requested that
the US Embassy in Turkmenistan do what it can to determine
his welfare and lobby for his release. Actions by the
Norwegian MFA have been limited to contact with the OSCE in
Vienna and Ashgabat. End Summary.


2. (C) Poloff contacted Norwegian Helsinki Committee
official Berit Lindeman and confirmed the information in
paragraphs 3-6 below about Gulgeldy Annaniyazov, which had
been passed on to poloff by Embassy Ashgabat. Paragraph 7
details the GON's actions on this case.

History of the Annaniyazov Case
--------------


3. (C) In June 2008, Gulgeldy Annaniyazov, a former civil
rights activist who had been in exile in Norway (having
received refugee status here in 2002),decided to return to
Turkmenistan. Within a day of his return, he was arrested,
and he was sentenced in September 2008 to 11 years of prison
for an undetermined set of charges. The court trial was
closed. Embassy Ashgabat contacted a Norwegian Helsinki
Commission representative who is in touch with the
activist,s wife, Amantash, who lives in Norway. The
information below largely came from her.


4. (C) After his arrest in late June, Annaniyazov was
initially charged with illegal border crossing, and this was
the charge the family was aware of. However, when his trial
took place in July it was closed, and the family believes
additional charges were levied against him. The additional
charges were what led to the extraordinarily long jail term
he got of 11 years. The family is aware of a
narcotics-related charge the authorities levied against
Annaniyazov in 2001, but they do not know if a related
conviction led to his current sentence. Annaniyazov,s
sister, who lives in Turkmenistan, was visited by a former
prisoner who said Annaniyazov was serving his sentence at the
prison in Turkmenbashy, where he had been held from 1995-1998
(for organizing a demonstration against the government). He
had contracted tuberculosis at the prison at that time, and
was later treated for it in Norway. His current health
status is unknown. He is being held incommunicado.


5. (C) The family in Norway does not understand why
Annaniyazov chose to return to Turkmenistan, and they tried
to dissuade him. He had attempted to return once before, in
2007, but failed. He told them that Turkmenistan was
important to him and he wanted to help with ongoing reforms
there, and he had also indicated that he wanted to start up
an anti-drug project in the country. He may have navely
misjudged the risk. According to rumors circulating in the
Turkmen exile community, Turkmen embassy officials in
Kazakhstan told him that "everything would be arranged for
him" and it was safe to cross the border with his Norwegian
refugee passport. There are no indications that Annaniyazov
was actively engaged in any activism in Norway, although he
maintained contact with a variety of Turkmen exiles. He
tried to establish his own NGO at one point that would focus
on Turkmenistan-related projects, but he could not raise
funds to get the organization off the ground.


6. (C) Family members abroad are very worried about family
members still in Turkmenistan. Annaniyazov,s daughter,
Jasgul and her family were prepared last fall to go to Norway
as part of an IOM assistance program, but they were barred
from departing the country. Annaniyazov,s sister, Gulnara,
was the family representative outside the closed court room,
and she has been fired from her job. The cell phones of
Annaniyazov,s brother, Charygeldy, and the phone of his
friend Mikhail, were turned off. Family members, while
welcoming international support in freeing Annaniyazov, are
afraid that publicity will defeat their goal. Annaniyazov,s
wife would much appreciate any assistance the US Embassy can
provide in advocating for Gulgeldy Annaniyazov,s release,
and also for assistance it can provide in persuading the
Turkmen government to allow Annaniyazov,s daughter, Jasgul
and her family to depart the country. The Norwegian Helsinki
Commission representative indicated that her organization is
asking the Norwegian MFA to get involved as well, since
Annaniyazov held a Norwegian refugee passport. Ms. Lindeman
indicated that the legal issues are tricky, as Mr.
Annaniyazov lost his refugee status when he left Norway and
went back to Turkmenistan.
GON Actions

--------------


7. (C) Poloff contacted Ole Bjornoy, desk officer for
Turkmenistan in the Norwegian MFA, to understand what Norway
has done with regard to the case. Bjornoy said that the GON
has raised the case with the OSCE in both Vienna and
Ashgabat. He further said that "there is a new head of
mission of the OSCE in Ashgabat and they are waiting to be
contacted by family members in Turkmenistan to get a clearer
picture of the situation." When poloff stated that it was
our understanding that the family in Turkmenistan
specifically did not want any obvious involvement in the
case, Bjornoy said that "after the daughter (Jasgul) was
contacted by the Turkmen security authorities, the family's
attitude changed." The Norwegian immigration authorities
have contacted Annaniyazov's family remaining in Norway about
family reunification procedures under Norwegian law.
According to Bjornoy, the Norwegian Ambassador to
Turkmenistan was in Ashgabat last week on an
education-related trip, and was unable to meet with the OSCE
mission. There are no current GON plans to meet with the
Turkmen government directly on this case.
JOHNSON