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RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
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RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
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RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 3291

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000156 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/02/2019 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: SISTER-IN-LAW OF FORMER FM 
SHIKHMURADOV SEEKS HELP FOR SON TO EMIGRATE 
 
Classified By: Charge Richard Miles, reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The sister-in-law of former Foreign Minister, 
Boris Shikhmuradov, Aina Shikhmuradova, contacted Political 
Officer to ask the Embassy to assist in obtaining permission 
for her youngest son to emigrate from Turkmenistan.  Boris 
Shikhmuradov was the alleged leader of a plot to kill former 
President Niyazov in 2002.  Since that time, Shikhmuradova's 
son Aman, then 14 years old, has been unable to attend school 
or hold a job.  She would like him to be able to join her 
oldest son in Moscow, but both mother and son have been 
denied the right to leave the country.  Despite the passage 
of more than six years, it appears that official sentiment 
against the alleged plotters and their families remains 
unforgiving.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (C) On January 26, poloff met with Aina Shikhmuradova, the 
sister-in-law of former Foreign Minister, Boris Shikhmuradov. 
 Shikhmuradov was charged with being the mastermind behind 
the alleged assassination attempt against former President 
Niyazov in November 2002.  Aina's husband and Boris' brother, 
Konstantin Shikhmuradov, was arrested in the roundup after 
the incident and given a 25-year prison sentence.  Since that 
time she has had no news or letters from, nor visits with 
him.  At the time of the alleged attempt, Konstantin was in 
the city of Mary on a three-day visit with a family member. 
Aina said when her husband arrived home to Ashgabat on 
November 25, he asked her what had happened because cars 
entering the city were being searched.  She said no one in 
the family was aware that Boris had returned to Turkmenistan. 
 She added that she did not know if Boris had been involved 
or not, and that there should be an open investigation of the 
incident to uncover the truth. 
 
¶3. (C) Aina's youngest son, Aman, was 14 years old when the 
incident occurred; he'll turn 21 this year.  Since that time 
he has not been allowed to attend school or hold a job.  He 
applied for a job as a watchman at a construction site, but 
when they saw his documents he was turned away.  Aina has two 
other sons.  The eldest was in Moscow at the time of the 
incident and remained there.  Aina said both she and Aman are 
Russian passport holders, although the Russian Embassy has 
been unwilling to assist them.  Their request to obtain 
Turkmenistan citizenship was denied.  On March 8, 2008 Aina 
and Aman tried to fly to Moscow, but Migration Service 
officials did not allow them to depart. 
 
¶4. (C) Aina that said in 2001 Boris had had a personal 
conflict with then President Niyazov involving a nasty 
exchange of words, after which Boris had returned home upset. 
 She said Boris had already asked to quit as Foreign Minister 
and had been given the choice of continuing to work or going 
to prison.  He continued working on those terms for two 
years.  In March 2001, Boris was sent to China as Ambassador. 
 Before leaving, Aina said Boris urged Konstanin to be 
careful and warned that there could be a provocation 
involving their family.  One week later, Aina and 
Konstantin's middle son was involved in a fight at a 
billiards club.  He and two friends were given 25-year 
sentences after the instigator of the fight fell, hit his 
head and later died. 
 
¶5. (C) Aina said she has no interest in leaving Turkmenistan, 
where she cares for her invalid mother-in-law and waits for 
news of her husband.  She said that she's appealed to Turkmen 
authorities for allow her son to leave.  Last week, she met 
with an official at the Institute for Democracy and Human 
Rights.  He refused to accept a statement of her complaint, 
telling her to mail it instead.  She said he didn't want to 
take responsibility by accepting the letter himself.  She 
also mentioned that she's made frequent written requests for 
the right to visit her husband, but has never received a 
written response. 
 
 
ASHGABAT 00000156  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶6. (C) COMMENT:  Despite the change of President two years 
ago, there has been no softening towards many of those 
implicated in the attack against Niyazov's motorcade.  The 
net was cast especially wide in the case of key "plotters," 
as a result of which many of their family members, including 
young Aman, continue to suffer consequences.  Any change in 
the government's treatment of the plotters and their 
families, such as allowing communication and visits with 
prisoners and freedom of movement for family members, would 
signal a real break with the past on the part of 
Turkmenistan's current leadership. 
MILES