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C O N F I D E N T I A L BISHKEK 000504 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
C O R R E C T E D  C O P Y (CLASSIFICATION - NATO) 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/17/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KCRM KCOR KG
SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT STICKING TO PARTY LINE ON BAISALOV 
ATTACK 
 
REF: BISHKEK 495 
 
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Donald Lu, reasons 1.4 (b) 
and (d) 
¶1.  (U) This is an action request.  See paragraph 12. 
 
¶2.  (C) SUMMARY:  In a series of meetings with Ambassador 
Yovanovitch to discuss the April 12 attack on civil society 
leader Edil Baisalov, government officials largely stuck to 
the party line, calling the assault "an unfortunate incident" 
and "a provocation" intended to destabilize the country. 
This line largely hews to the talking points used by 
President Bakiyev during his only public comments on the 
attack, made during a government meeting on April 13.  No 
Kyrgyz officials characterized the assault as an attempt to 
silence or intimidate civil society.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶3.  (SBU/REL NATO) On April 14, the Ambassador held separate 
meetings with and passed an Embassy press release and non-paper 
(reftel) to National Security Service (SNB) Chairman 
Tashtemir Aitbayev, National Security Secretary Miroslav 
Niyazov and Prime Minister Feliks Kulov, and spoke with 
Foreign Minister Alykbek Jekshenkulov.  The Ambassador also 
met with the Chinese Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, and discussed 
the Baisalov case with representatives of other OSCE 
countries represented in Bishkek. 
 
SNB AND MFA: LET'S NOT RUSH TO JUDGMENT 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (C/REL NATO) SNB Chairman Aitbayev went out of his way to 
assure the Ambassador that the attack on Baisalov was not a 
crisis. He said the SNB and Interior Ministry (MVD) were working 
together to find the person who attacked Edil Baisalov 
(reftel).  He agreed with Ambassador's statement on the 
important role that civil society plays in Kyrgyz society. 
Although Aitbayev cautioned against rushing to any 
conclusions about who might have assaulted Baisalov, he 
speculated that the attack could have been carried out "by a 
crazy person."  Following the meeting with Aitbayev, 
Ambassador discussed the attack with Foreign Minister Alykbek 
Jekshenkulov over the phone.  The FM said he too was alarmed 
by the criminalization of society, but added that President 
Bakiyev was "taking control of the situation."  Jekshenkulov 
said that the President had given instructions to the law 
enforcement bodies to solve this case. 
 
NIYAZOV: WELCOME TO FANTASY ISLAND 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (C/REL NATO) National Security Secretary Miroslav Niyazov 
said the attack was regrettable, but urged the Ambassador not 
to rush to judgment on who might be responsible.  Niyazov 
characterized the incident as a provocation, designed to sow 
panic in society or even discredit organized crime figure 
(and frequent target of Baisalov's criticism) Ryspek 
Akmatbayev.  He lamely speculated that the attacker might 
have mistaken Edil Baisalov for parliamentarian Erkin 
Baisalov (no relation).  Niyazov told the Ambassador that a 
group of "five or six politicians have seized on the incident 
to cause panic" and said that "such hysteria (on the part of 
the politicians) would be understandable coming from women, 
but for men to behave that way is just embarrassing." 
Nevertheless, Niyazov said that the MVD would work hard to 
solve the case.  He then reiterated his strong belief that 
the assault on Baisalov was a "premeditated act designed to 
create hysteria," and said a rushed investigation is not the 
best way to solve the case. 
 
¶6.  (C/REL NATO) Warming to the subject, Niyazov then entered 
into a disjointed but spirited defense of indicted murderer and 
mafia kingpin Ryspek Akmatbayev.  Niyazov claimed that 
Akmatbayev was the victim of a smear campaign in the media, 
and repeatedly speculated that the assault on Baisalov had 
been carried out by someone seeking to discredit Akmatbayev. 
 
Niyazov glanced down at a copy of the Embassy press statement 
condemning the assault and said, "I'm sure your theory of the 
crime will be proven wrong soon." 
 
PRIME MINISTER KULOV: ATTACK "POLITICALLY MOTIVATED" 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶7.  (C/REL NATO) Prime Minister Feliks Kulov seemed to be one 
of the very few senior government officials to understand (or 
at least admit) the seriousness of the attack.  Kulov visited 
Baisalov in the hospital only hours after the attack, and in 
an April 13 government meeting he called the assault 
"politically motivated."  Kulov told the Ambassador he is 
"deeply concerned" about what is happening in the country, 
and said that he has demanded from the law enforcement 
agencies a concerted effort to find the people responsible 
for the attack on Baisalov. 
 
¶8.  (C/REL NATO) Referring to an April 7 statement by the 
Russian MFA expressing muted concern over Ryspek Akmatbayev's 
impending election to parliament, Kulov said that he had told 
President Bakiyev "this is the first time in history that the 
U.S., Russia, and Kazakhstan have had a common position on 
Kyrgyzstan and the need to tackle organized crime."  Kulov 
said the Russian Government had never expressed such concerns 
before. 
 
MVD: ASSAULT WAS A MURDER ATTEMPT 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶9.  (C/REL NATO) On April 14, while two Embassy FSNs visited 
Baisalov in the hospital, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs 
Omurbek Suvanaliyev came in to update Baisalov on the 
investigation. He told Baisalov in the presence of the FSNs that 
the assault was a murder attempt, and not intended solely to 
intimidate him.  Suvanaliyev said that the likely weapon used, a 
piece of pipe wrapped in newspaper, was the murder weapon of 
choice for inmates in Kyrgyz prisons. 
 
DIPLOMATIC COMMUNITY: OUTRAGE, YES.  ACTION, MAYBE 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶10.  (C/REL NATO) On April 14, the Ambassador met with the 
Chinese Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan.  The Chinese Ambassador agreed 
that the attack was aimed at intimidating all of Kyrgyz civil 
society.  However, when Ambassador Yovanovitch suggested 
raising this point with the Kyrgyz government, the Chinese 
Ambassador balked, saying such action would be premature. 
The Chinese Ambassador also stated his personal view that 
mobster Ryspek Akmatbayev was somehow linked to either 
President Bakiyev or the Presidential Administration. 
 
¶11.  (C/REL NATO) In a separate session, the Ambassador met 
with representatives of other OSCE countries to discuss the 
attack (the Russians were notably absent from the meeting). 
Everyone present agreed with the Ambassador's assessment that 
the assault was aimed at silencing civil society in general. 
OSCE Ambassador Markus Muller said his mission would begin 
drafting a statement.  The German Ambassador (also 
representing the EU) said he had suggested the EU chair issue 
a statement, but worried that the impending Easter break 
could get in the way.  The Kazakh Counselor (in place of the 
Ambassador, who was out of town) gave a scathing assessment 
of the current situation in Kyrgyzstan.  However, he was 
unwilling to take any further action, including asking Astana 
to express its concern to the Kyrgyz government. 
 
¶12.  (C) Post requests the Department ask the Kazakhs to 
approach the Kyrgyz and express their own well-founded 
concerns to the Kyrgyz over the attack on Edil Baisalov, as 
well as the growing and destabilizing role played by 
organized crime groups in Kyrgyzstan. 
 
¶13.  (C) COMMENT:  Although certainly disappointing, 
Niyazov's defense of Akmatbayev was hardly surprising. 
Besides President Bakiyev himself, no other government 
 
 
official has done more to publicly and privately defend 
Akmatbayev since he first slithered into the public eye last 
October.  Fortunately, Niyazov appears to have little 
influence these days in Bakiyev's inner circle.  Aitbayev's 
disappointing statements were also not surprising, given 
widespread rumors that he is somehow linked to Akmatbayev. 
 
¶14.  (C) COMMENT CONT'D:  More disturbing is the government's 
seemingly total lack of understanding of (or willingness to 
admit) the assault's larger significance.  Instead, Aitbayev 
and Niyazov denied even the possibility that the attack on 
Baisalov was intended to silence his outspoken criticism of 
organized crime and the government.  They also stubbornly 
refused to admit that organized crime is obviously out of 
control, or that there is a need to defend Kyrgyzstan's 
vibrant yet fragile civil society.  Instead, these officials 
drew out President Bakiyev's comments to a ridiculous degree, 
spinning fantasies and denying reality in a futile attempt to 
divert attention from the fact that the government lacks the 
political will necessary to confront organized crime. 
YOVANOVITCH