Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
10ASHGABAT136
2010-01-29 08:00:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:
TURKMENISTAN: STEPPED UP PRESSURE AGAINST COUPLE
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C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 000136
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SCA/CEN; DRL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/28/2020
TAGS: PHUM PGOV TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: STEPPED UP PRESSURE AGAINST COUPLE
SEEKING RESTITUTION
REF: A. 08 ASHGABAT 1472
B. 09 ASHGABAT 644
C. 09 ASHGABAT 772
Classified By: Charge Sylvia Reed Curran, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 000136
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SCA/CEN; DRL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/28/2020
TAGS: PHUM PGOV TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: STEPPED UP PRESSURE AGAINST COUPLE
SEEKING RESTITUTION
REF: A. 08 ASHGABAT 1472
B. 09 ASHGABAT 644
C. 09 ASHGABAT 772
Classified By: Charge Sylvia Reed Curran, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (C) On January 27, local RFE/RL journalist Halmurat
Gylychdurdiyev informed POLOFF that security officials
detained Bazargeldy Berdiyev on January 26. Berdiyev, a
former businessman, and his wife have been seeking
compensation from the government for illegal seizure of their
property and torture that occurred in 1998 (reftels). In a
meeting on January 28, Gylychdurdiyev explained that security
officials demanded Berdiyev sign a statement relinguishing
his claims against the government. Gylychdurdiyev said
Berdiyev was told that he would be released if he signed. If
he did not sign, he and his wife would be sent to a
psychiatric hospital. Gylychdurdiyev said Mrs. Berdiyeva
told him their residence was currently under surveillance.
2. (C) Gylychdurdiyev could not offer any explanation about
why Berdiyev was detained at this time. He said the couple
had retained a lawyer, who advised Berdiyev to sign the
statement relinguishing his claim. They fired the lawyer.
Gylychdurdiyev also mentioned that Mrs. Berdiyeva had
traveled to Tashkent last summer for surgery to alleviate
pain caused by injuries to her leg received in 1998. He said
she paid a $2,000 bribe to a border guard to leave the
country and $3,000 to the surgeon. Gylychdurdiyev said he
did not know the Berdiyevs well, but that he wanted to help
them as people whose rights were violated and were suffering.
He had no confidence in Ashgabat-based UN and OSCE officials
to look into this matter. He planned to scan and email
documents related to the Berdiyevs' case to human rights
organizations overseas.
3. (C) COMMENT: Post had regular contact with the Berdiyevs
for a nine month period prior to June 2009. During that
time, they provided us with inconsistent (and at times false
or fabricated) information and appeared to be obsessed with
recovering the property and money seized from them in 1998.
Our repeated offer to assist with medical expenses for Mrs.
Berdiyeva's treatment was declined. It remains unclear what
prompted security officials to take act now, after an
eight-month lull. Perhaps some government official became
fed up with the Berdiyevs' continued lobbying with government
insiders, which Mrs. Berdiyeva had previously mentioned
included Berdimuhamedov's sister (Ref C). END COMMENT
CURRAN
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SCA/CEN; DRL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/28/2020
TAGS: PHUM PGOV TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: STEPPED UP PRESSURE AGAINST COUPLE
SEEKING RESTITUTION
REF: A. 08 ASHGABAT 1472
B. 09 ASHGABAT 644
C. 09 ASHGABAT 772
Classified By: Charge Sylvia Reed Curran, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (C) On January 27, local RFE/RL journalist Halmurat
Gylychdurdiyev informed POLOFF that security officials
detained Bazargeldy Berdiyev on January 26. Berdiyev, a
former businessman, and his wife have been seeking
compensation from the government for illegal seizure of their
property and torture that occurred in 1998 (reftels). In a
meeting on January 28, Gylychdurdiyev explained that security
officials demanded Berdiyev sign a statement relinguishing
his claims against the government. Gylychdurdiyev said
Berdiyev was told that he would be released if he signed. If
he did not sign, he and his wife would be sent to a
psychiatric hospital. Gylychdurdiyev said Mrs. Berdiyeva
told him their residence was currently under surveillance.
2. (C) Gylychdurdiyev could not offer any explanation about
why Berdiyev was detained at this time. He said the couple
had retained a lawyer, who advised Berdiyev to sign the
statement relinguishing his claim. They fired the lawyer.
Gylychdurdiyev also mentioned that Mrs. Berdiyeva had
traveled to Tashkent last summer for surgery to alleviate
pain caused by injuries to her leg received in 1998. He said
she paid a $2,000 bribe to a border guard to leave the
country and $3,000 to the surgeon. Gylychdurdiyev said he
did not know the Berdiyevs well, but that he wanted to help
them as people whose rights were violated and were suffering.
He had no confidence in Ashgabat-based UN and OSCE officials
to look into this matter. He planned to scan and email
documents related to the Berdiyevs' case to human rights
organizations overseas.
3. (C) COMMENT: Post had regular contact with the Berdiyevs
for a nine month period prior to June 2009. During that
time, they provided us with inconsistent (and at times false
or fabricated) information and appeared to be obsessed with
recovering the property and money seized from them in 1998.
Our repeated offer to assist with medical expenses for Mrs.
Berdiyeva's treatment was declined. It remains unclear what
prompted security officials to take act now, after an
eight-month lull. Perhaps some government official became
fed up with the Berdiyevs' continued lobbying with government
insiders, which Mrs. Berdiyeva had previously mentioned
included Berdimuhamedov's sister (Ref C). END COMMENT
CURRAN