ARCHIVAL IMMUNITY WAIVER IN RESPONSE TO TAJIK MVD

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 010430

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/04/2019
TAGS: ASEC CVIS KLIG KVIS TI
SUBJECT: ARCHIVAL IMMUNITY WAIVER IN RESPONSE TO TAJIK MVD
REQUEST FOR ARCHIVES AND COMMUNCATIONS FROM AMEMBASSY
DUSHANBE

REF: A. 09 DUSHANBE 0066

Classified By: SCA/CEN Tom Hushek for reasons 1.4(c) and (d)


1. (C) On January 4, 7, and 9, Post has received three
official written requests for documentation and information
from the Tajik Ministry of Interior related to a criminal
investigation into a criminal case violating the Tajik law
"swindling". (reftel) According to the documents received
from the Government of Tajikistan a locally employed Embassy
staff member from the Public Diplomacy section, Maya
Vahobova, has been accused of selling promises of visa
support along with a second Tajik national, Shakhzoda Mirova.



2. (U) Post is authorized to transmitthe following points to
the Government of Tajikistan by whatever means are deemed
most appropriate.


3. (C rel GOTI) Under Article 24 of the Vienna Convention on
Diplomatic Relations, the archives of the Embassy are
inviolable at any time and wherever they shall be.

-- The United States hereby expressly waives its archival
inviolability for the limited purpose of providing the
following information to the Tajik Ministry of the Interior
in relation to its criminal investigation of Maya Vahobova
and Shakhzoda Mirova for an alleged violation of Tajik law
"swindling" and for no other purpose.

-- The following questions were posed by the Tajik Ministry
of Interior. Below each question is Post's answer.


A. Please inform the Ministry whether Muyassara Kahorovna
Vahobova is employed by the U.S. Embassy in the Republic of
Tajikistan. If yes, beginning when, in what role/job, and
what are her functional responsibilities. Also, please
advise the Ministry if she has the responsibility to prepare
documents for the issuance of U.S. visas.

ANSWER: Muyassara Kahorovna VAHOBOVA is currently employed by
the U.S. Embassy in the Republic of Tajikistan. She is the
Cultural Assistant. The cultural assistant reports to the
Cultural Affairs Officer and is the mission's sole local
employee who handles cultural and exchange activities. The
incumbent plans, develops, and administers nationwide
education and cultural programs designed to help Tajik
citizens better understand U.S. culture, values, and
policies. The cultural assistant is granted broad discretion
in recommending and organizing receptions, exhibitions,
artist performances, arts training, and visits by U.S.
cultural envoys to promote US policies and values. She
manages the logistics and implementation of these events. The
cultural assistant assists in the management of visits by
Tajik citizens to the United States as part of cultural,
educational, and professional exchange programs. She helps
identify applicants for these programs, and a team of USG
citizens selects the participants. The cu
ltural assistant then works directly with the participants to
collect biographic data and arranges travel, leads or
participates in pre-departure orientations, and return
briefings. She also prepares reports for State liaison
offices in Washington.

About 5 percent of the cultural assistant's time is spent
helping applicants fill out the standard online visa forms,
mostly for the International Visitor program. The mandatory
English language visa form DS-156 can ONLY be completed
online and Maya helps those who do not speak English or who
lack Internet access or even electricity, and sometimes their
dependents who accompany them on the program. The applicants
fill in the paper copies of the form, often in Russian, then
give Maya the form to put the data enter into the English
online form. Maya enters the information using her own
computer, prints out the resulting document with the bar
code, and gives the applicant the form, which the applicant
takes to the consular section during the interview. She is
the liaison to the consular section, which sets the visa
interview appointment. She does not conduct visa interviews
or have any interaction with the actual visa application
process. She does not issue visas nor have any influence
over the issuance of visas. The Consul reports that he has
never been approached by Maya with any inappropriate
questions regarding the visa process.


B. Who works with Vahobova in her section and in the
office? Which office telephone number and mobile phone number
does she use? What are the other office telephone numbers in
her area? And who has access to her phone and the other
office telephones?

ANSWER: The Public Diplomacy section of the Embassy is led by
Jacqueline McKennan and her deputy Anne Benjaminson. Both are
American diplomats accredited to the Republic of Tajikistan.
There are currently two other citizens of Tajikistan that
work in the Public Diplomacy office. Abdumalik Kadirov is a
Cultural Affairs Assistant working alongside Maya Vahobova.
Nigina Alieva is an Information Assistant and works with the
mass media.

Maya Vahobova's office number is 229-2312. Her cell phone
number is 90-700-7060. Anyone in the Public Diplomacy section
could, theoretically, have access to any of the office
telephones in the section. The other extension numbers for
the section are: 2351, 2313, 2315, 2314, 2318.


C. Which Embassy employee uses the telephone numbers
229-23-00 and 229-23-12. Who has right to use these
telephones? Is it possible to make outgoing call from these
numbers.

ANSWER: 229-2300 is the general number for the
ConsularAffairs section. Nobody in the Public Diplomacy
section would have access to that number. It does not connect
to numbers outside the Consular section. There is an
automated answer and reply system that allows callers to get
routine answers in multiple languages to Consular services.
Nobody uses that number directly to call outside the Embassy.
229-2312 is a telephone number in the Public Diplomacy
section and belongs to Maya Vahobova. Anyone in the Public
Diplomacy section could, theoretically, have access to this
number.


D. Did Vahobova speak at any universities or similar
institutions in Dushanbe on behalf of U.S. Government
programs from July up to present time? If yes when, with
which program, and in which institutions?

ANSWER: In September, Maya and Anne Benjaminson attended the
International Education Fair in Khujand attended by hundreds
of academics, students. Many educational institutions, NGOs,
and foreign missions set up information booths and made
presentations about international study programs.

On the following dates Maya accompanied U.S. Embassy
personnel who delivered lectures about quoted topics approved
by the Ministry of Education: Nov 12 Anne Benjaminson,
Pedagogical institute, "Education in the U.S." Nov 14 DCM
Necia Quast, Technological University of Tajikistan,
"American Agriculture." Nov 20 - Anne Benjaminson -
Tajik-Russian Slavonic University ) presentation on the
Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant program and
other exchange programs. Jan 7 ) RSO Seth Green,
Technological University of Tajikistan, "The U.S.
Constitution."


E. What documents are necessary to apply for an American
visa?

ANSWER: The following United States Government forms are
necessary to apply for a visa: Forms DS-156 (visa
application),DS-157 (for men aged 16-45) and DS-158 (for
students). In addition, applicants must present 1 photo, a
valid foreign passport and the Consular fee of 131 USD.


F. The order of addressing, obtaining and extension of USA
visa.

ANSWER: The process of receiving a visa is 1) Make an
advanced appointment online. 2) Submit the forms, photo, ID,
and fee on the day of the appointment. 3) Participate in a
visa interview with an American Consul. 4) Submit electronic
fingerprints at the time of the interview. 5) Visa wait time
is typically one day after the interview.

No visa extensions are available. Each time the applicant
must go through the above process and pay a new fee each
time.



G. Is there a citizen of the Republic of Tajikistan by the
name "Muyasara" and "Maysara" approximately 40-45 years old
employed by the Embassy of the United States of America in
the Republic of Tajikistan with the exception of VAHOBOVA
Muyassara Kahorovna?

ANSWER: There are no other Embassy employees named "Muyasara"
and "Maysara", regardless of age.



H. In the course of the Embassy's preliminary
investigation, the Embassy's local security employee, Yusuf
Kholov, used a photo spread to ascertain whether Mirova could
identify Vahobova. The Ministry requests a copy of the photos
used for the investigative file and evidence.



I. Which Embassy employees use telephone numbers 229-20-00
and 229-23-14? Who uses these telephone numbers? Is this
possible to make outgoing call from these numbers?

ANSWER: 229-2000 is the general Embassy switchboard number.
Any and all phone extensions in the Embassy will show this
number for outgoing calls and this number is widely and
publicly distributed as the Embassy's general number. While
nobody individually has the 229-2000 number, all outgoing
calls from the Embassy would show this number.

229-2314 is a number in the Public Diplomacy section. The
desk the phone is on is currently vacant. Anyone in the
Public Diplomacy section could, theoretically, have access to
this number.



J. On December 2, 2008, please provide the Ministry
information about when Vahobova and Kholov arrived and
departed the Embassy.

ANSWER: Yusuf Kholov arrived at the Embassy on December 2,
2008 at 0705 and departed the Embassy at 1746 hours. Maya
Vahobova arrived at the Embassy on December 2, 2008 at 0807
and departed the Embassy at 1659 hours.



K. According to phone records of incoming and outgoing
calls from cellular phone of Mirova (tel: 93-520-00-88) she
repeatedly called to the following phone numbers of the U.S.
Embassy. Please provide us with the information regarding who
from the Embassy spoke on the phone with Mirova? What was the
subject of their conversation and whether phone conversations
were recorded? If yes, please provide investigation with the
mentioned conversation to add it to criminal case.

i. 229-23-00: 11-12-2008 at 11:08: duration of call 36
seconds
ii. 229-23-00: 11-12-2008 at 11:30: duration of call 25
seconds
iii. 229-20-00: 11-18-2008 at 8:34: duration of call 1
minute 36 seconds
iv. 229-23-00: 11-20-2008 at 15:16: duration of call 6
seconds
v. 229-23-00: 12-02-2008 at 17:11: duration of call 1
minute 43 seconds
vi. 229-20-00: 12-02-2008 at 17:14: duration of call 4
minutes 22 seconds
vii. 229-23-00: 12-02-2008 at 22:22: duration of call 1
minute 43 seconds
viii. 229-23-00: 12-02-2008 at 22:30: duration of call 1
minute 30 seconds
ix. 229-23-00: 12-02-2008 at 22:33: duration of call 45
seconds

ANSWER: Calls to the number 229-2300 were sent to an
automated message service. There are numerous automated
messages and options to acquire various information related
to Consular services such as American passport renewal,
non-immigrant visa services, birth and death notifications,
and other services commonly provided by Consular sections
around the world. As this is not a number that a live person
answers, there was not likely any conversation ) especially
with the short duration of the calls. The number 229-2300
does not have an operator assigned and cannot transfer calls
to other extensions.

Calls to the number 229-2000 go to the main operator. The
operator received dozens of calls per day and does not
register or log whom they transfer calls to. A check of
Embassy records shows that 570-0088 did in fact dial the
Embassy number at 08:35. After 26 seconds, the call was
transferred to the Consular section (extension 2308) to local
employee Natasha Pilipenko. The call lasted 1 minute exactly
and was transferred to extension 2302, belonging to local
employee Tahmina Dekhoti. The call lasted 29 seconds and was
disconnected. Dekhoti indicated that she did not in fact
speak with Mirova from that number, but rather it was Sadbarg
Ganieva calling from Mirova's cell phone. According to
Takhmina, Ganieva had called many times before but Embassy
records indicate that other numbers were used. She said that
her son and several other student aged people paid between
3500 and 4500 USD to Maya through someone named Shakhzoda.
According to Ganieva, Maya promised to assist with an F-1
student visa if they pay her and eventually disappeared.
According to Takhmina, Ganieva made implicit threats of
physical harm to her ) and indicated that she had &high
level connections8 at the Tajik State Committee for National
Security. During the call in question, she also mentioned
that she had already spoken with both Maya Vakhobova and
Yusuf Kholov and was aware that the Embassy had filed a case
with the Ministry of Interior. Sadbarg Ganieva is the head of
the local UNESCO office, and an employee of the Tajik
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. RSO learned during the
investigation that Sadbarg Ganieva's son is the boyfriend of
Mirova.
CLINTON