SUCCESSFUL LEGISLATIVE DRAFTING EXPERT WORKSHOP

UNCLAS STATE 118936 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PARM PTER KNNP KCRM KZ SUBJECT: SUCCESSFUL LEGISLATIVE DRAFTING EXPERT WORKSHOP IN ASTANA ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: In coordination with experts from the Terrorism Prevention Branch (TPB) of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC),the Department,s Nuclear Smuggling Outreach Initiative (NSOI) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) held a Legislative Drafting Expert Workshop with the Government of Kazakhstan (GOKZ) in Astana from September 29 to October 01. More than ten Kazakhstani legal experts -- from Parliament, the General Prosecutor's Office, the Ministry of Justice, and Customs -- recommended specific amendments to Kazakhstan,s Criminal Code to improve the GOKZ,s capability to prosecute all types of nuclear smuggling cases including scams and hoaxes. These experts also proposed ways that the GOKZ could enhance international legal cooperation against nuclear terrorism. (Note: NSOI is an interagency effort, coordinated by ISN/WMDT, to enhance international assistance to combat smuggling of nuclear and radioactive materials. NSOI focuses comprehensively on those countries the U.S. intelligence community has identified as being at greatest risk for having illicit smuggling of nuclear or radioactive materials occurring on or through their territories.) END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) BACKGROUND: NSOI and the GOKZ have cooperated since early 2006 to reduce the threat of illicit trafficking in nuclear and radioactive materials. In late 2006, NSOI and the GOKZ exchanged diplomatic notes, bringing into force a political agreement that specifies priority steps to be taken to improve Kazakhstan,s anti-nuclear smuggling capabilities. One of the steps in that agreement is to review and strengthen Kazakhstan,s Criminal Code to ensure that the GOKZ can prosecute all types of illicit nuclear and radiological trafficking. To this end, the delegations (representing NSOI and the GOKZ) agreed that, during the workshop, legal experts would review relevant Kazakhstani laws and, if needed, recommend revisions. ¶3. (U) U.S. experience suggests that nuclear smuggling scams and hoaxes, in particular, are among the most difficult cases to prosecute. Nuclear smuggling scams involve actual or attempted transactions in which the seller misrepresents the material being offered, usually to increase the material,s perceived potency or value. Nuclear smuggling hoaxes involve individual(s) falsely claiming to possess nuclear or radioactive material and threatening to use it maliciously. In close collaboration with the Department,s Nuclear Trafficking Response Group, NSOI has identified six scam and hoax scenarios of particular concern, which were the focus of the workshop,s countering nuclear smuggling sessions. END OF BACKGROUND ¶4. (U) Prior to the start of the workshop, NSOI hired a local law firm, TL Consulting, to determine whether relevant articles of the Kazakhstani Criminal Code were sufficient to prosecute the six nuclear smuggling scam and hoax scenarios of concern. DOJ added to TL Consulting,s preliminary analysis, using it primarily as a starting point to determine the GOKZ,s ability to prosecute nuclear smuggling scams and hoaxes and make suggestions regarding improving relevant articles of Kazakhstan,s Criminal Code. Mr. Walter Gehr and Ms. Aydan Bashlinskaya, experts from UNODC's TPB, prepared a similar analysis examining the extent to which Kazakhstan,s Criminal Code was compliant with the nuclear-related provisions of the Universal Counterterrorism Conventions. Both analyses were passed to the GOKZ at the start of the workshop. ¶5. (U) During the three-day workshop, participants considered how the GOKZ should criminalize various nuclear smuggling cases, including scams and hoaxes. Mrs. Jennifer Mastros Lynch, an analyst supporting NSOI, provided an overview of the common nuclear smuggling cases that have, in the past, been difficult for some countries to prosecute. Mr. David Cora, a trial lawyer in the Counterterrorism Section of the National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, expanded on this overview and presented the USG,s experience in prosecuting each of these cases. As a result of these discussions and the review of the Criminal Code, the participants concluded that Kazakhstan,s laws were sufficient to prosecute all types of cases but applied insufficient penalties to deter would-be traffickers. Mr. Cora suggested that the GOKZ review Article 247 of the Criminal Code (Illegal Handling of Radioactive Materials) to consider increasing all penalties for a violation of that Article to the level of &grave gravity,8 which carries a more severe imprisonment term of not more than 12 years. ¶6. (U) Workshop participants also considered how Kazakhstan,s legislation should be amended to implement fully its obligations to criminalize nuclear terrorism under UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) and international conventions. Participants noted that ratified international treaties take precedence over domestic legislation, but reaffirmed the GOKZ's commitment to harmonize its national legislation with international conventions. UNODC recommended that the GOKZ consider becoming party to three additional universal treaties against terrorism: -The Protocol of 2005 to the Convention for the Suppression on Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Convention -The Protocol of 2005 for the Suppression on Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Fixed Platforms Located on the Continental Shelf -The Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (U) Most importantly, UNODC recommended that the appropriate national authorities review the Criminal Code with the goal of implementing the offenses and the compulsory jurisdictional grounds set forth in all of the universal instruments against terrorism. ¶7. (U) To conclude the workshop, representatives from the GOKZ, the USG, and UNODC drafted a Plan of Action which specifies all of the agreed measures the GOKZ should take to strengthen its Criminal Code and conform better to international terrorism conventions. The appropriate national authorities will review the recommendations for final approval. The senior representative from the Prosecutor General's Office noted that he would personally report to his senior leadership on the necessity of considering UNODC and U.S. suggestions, and said that he hoped changes could be adopted by spring 2010. In addition, UNODC, the USG, and the GOKZ agreed to hold a video conference in 2010 with the experts present at this workshop and other relevant GOKZ officials to discuss any outstanding issues relating to the recommendations. Furthermore, the GOKZ and UNODC tentatively agreed to hold a training workshop in 2010 for judges and prosecutors on the application of the universal legal regime against terrorism. ¶8. (U) NSOI, DOJ, and UNODC representatives are pleased with the results of the workshop, and will continue to work with Embassy Astana to press the GOKZ to ensure the recommendations are implemented. ¶9. (U) The POC for this cable is Mrs. Jennifer Mastros Lynch, ISN/WMDT, mastrosjl@state.gov, 202-736-7978. CLINTON