VZCZCXRO4457
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW
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RUEHSK RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHTA #2452/01 3470547
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 120547Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY ASTANA
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RUCNCLS/SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
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RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFAAA/DIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC 0489
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC 0398
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEHAST/USOFFICE ALMATY 0974

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASTANA 002452 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL, DRL/IRF 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM ECON SOCI KDEM KIRF KZ
SUBJECT:  KAZAKHSTAN:  ALMATY NOTES, NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 5 
 
ASTANA 00002452  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  The "Almaty Notes" series from U.S. Office Almaty focuses on 
developments in civil society, the media, and the opposition in 
Kazakhstan's "southern capital." 
 
OPPOSITION LEADERS CHARGED WITH CRIME 
 
¶2.  On December 1, the Interior Ministry charged Azat party leader 
Bulat Abilov with "concealing a grave crime" per Article 363 of the 
Criminal Code.  On December 2, the Ministry filed the same charges 
against Shanyrak movement leader Asylbek Kozhakhmetov and Communist 
Party secretariat member Tolen Tokhtasynov.  The latter was notified 
of the charges by e-mail, as he currently resides in Mongolia.  All 
three opposition leaders were accused in connection with the same 
matter.  From 2005-07, they signed four letters to Ukrainian 
authorities in support of the political asylum case of Yesentay 
Baysakov, a Pavlodar businessman previously connected to the 
opposition.  Baysakov is currently wanted in Kazakhstan in 
conjunction with the 2001 murder of a rival businessman.  The 
Interior Ministry maintains that the letters from the opposition 
leaders were crucial in persuading the Ukrainians to approve 
Baysakov's asylum request. 
 
¶3. Abilov and Kozhakhmetov both signed statements promising not to 
leave Almaty.  However, Abilov was allowed to travel for a week to 
China to undergo medical treatment.  Nothing is known about 
Tokhtasynov's reaction to the charges against him.  Kozhakhmetov 
maintains that the case is aimed at preventing the participation of 
key opposition leaders in future elections, since convictions would 
bar them from election participation for at least several years.  He 
also believes there is a battle within the government between 
"doves" who advocate for greater openness and accommodation and 
"hawks" who want tighter controls over the opposition.  In 
Kozhakhmetov's view, the charges signal that the hawks are on top, 
at least for now.  Although Article 363 provides for a prison 
sentence of up to two years, Kozhakhmetov expects that at worst, the 
opposition leaders will receive just suspended sentences -- though 
that would still result in a ban on their political activities. 
 
INFLUENCE OF RELIGIOUS "SECTS" SHOULD BE LIMITED 
 
¶4.  At a press conference in Almaty on December 1, activists from 
the Union of Kazakhstan Muslims (UKM) called on the government to 
limit the influence of religious "sects."  UKM's leader, Murat 
Telibekov, nevertheless argued that "repressive measures will lead 
nowhere" and called instead for stepping up the "ideological 
struggle."  According to Telibekov, the Spiritual Administration of 
Kazakhstan Muslims does very little or nothing to spread its 
propaganda among the people.  However, an academician, Uzbek-Uly, 
spoke in more radical terms, saying that sects pose a threat to 
national security and the government should protect young people 
from their "destructive influence."  Uzbek-Uly argued that the 
current religion law was too liberal.  In order to demonstrate the 
destructive role of sects, two former members of Kazakhstan's 
minority Ahmadi Muslim community -- Yerlan Bektemirov and Aleksey 
Tolchennikov -- were introduced to journalists.  Bektemirov and 
Tolokonnikov had allegedly been forced to unhesitatingly follow the 
commands of Ahmadi leaders and pay 10 percent of their income to the 
Ahmadi community.  UKM activists maintained that a main "drawback" 
of the Ahmadis is their religious doctrine, which significantly 
differs from orthodox Islam. 
 
CEMETERY CONFLICT BETWEEN ORALMAN AND LOCALS 
 
¶5.  Oralman (i.e., ethnic Kazakh immigrants from other countries) 
from the settlement of Zhana Kurylys in Almaty Oblast were forced by 
local residents and police to remove a relative from her grave and 
bury her body in another place.  Local residents reportedly insisted 
that this was their land and only their relatives could be buried in 
the cemetery.  A local imam tried to dissuade the residents from 
forcing this action, but he failed.  Within two days, according to 
local reports, the imam fell ill and died. 
 
YESIK BUSINESSMEN PROTEST AGAINST LOCAL AUTHORITIES 
 
ASTANA 00002452  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶6.  On November 29, more than one hundred businessmen, including 
market retailers, organized a peaceful protest in the town of Yesik, 
Almaty Oblast.  They protested against local authorities who 
reportedly "strangle" their businesses with taxes, fines, and 
inspections.  The businessmen concluded their protest by reading out 
an appeal to President Nazarbayev to protect them. 
 
PROTEST OF APARTMENT INVESTORS 
 
¶7.  On December 3, a group of Almaty residents who invested their 
savings into apartments that have not been completed gathered near 
the city's independence monument to attract public attention to 
their plight.  Within 15 minutes, officials from the mayor's office 
and law enforcement agencies arrived on the scene.  The police 
detained one man as the organizer of this unsanctioned rally. 
 
HOAGLAND