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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000568 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, INL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KCRM SOCI TX
SUBJECT:  TURKMENISTAN:  CHILD MURDER SHOCKS RESIDENTS OF ASHGABAT'S 
ELEVENTH MICRODISTRICT 
 
ASHGABAT 00000568  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  (U)  Sensitive but unclassified.  Not for public Internet. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  SUMMARY:  A local staff member learned about the details 
of two alleged child murders that reportedly happened in the 
eleventh microdistrict on the east side of Ashgabat in April.  A 
knife-wielding attacker murdered a young boy on April 23.  There had 
also been a report of a murder of an eight year-old boy the week of 
April 13.  RSO police sources can only confirm the April 23 murder. 
A young, possibly mentally ill man suspected of both murders was 
detained the week of April 27.  The Turkmen press does not report on 
crime activity as a rule, but word of the violent murders spread 
across the capital within two weeks.  Residents of the eleventh 
microdistrict appreciated police inquiries and information that was 
shared in the neighborhood, but some wish this type of information 
was more broadly disseminated to assure public safety.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  One of post's local staff, who lives in the eleventh 
microdistrict on the east side of Ashgabat, related reports of two 
different child murders in the neighborhood.  Reportedly a 
knife-wielding man suddenly attacked a group of three boys 
(approximately eight to ten years old) on April 23 playing in the 
yard of School Number 50 after school hours.  The man slit the 
throat of one boy, killing him, and seriously injured one other, 
while a third boy escaped.  The injured boy was taken to the 
hospital. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Police knocking on doors seeking further information said 
that three weeks ago a boy (approximately eight years old) had been 
stabbed to death in the basement of an apartment building.  The boy 
was playing with his ten year-old friend in a yard near their homes 
in the evening when they were approached by a young man who asked 
for help moving books from a basement to his apartment.  Having 
lured the boys into the basement, the man attacked both boys with a 
knife.  The older boy escaped and called for help.  By the time the 
parents of the both boys got to the basement, however, the man had 
killed the younger boy and ran away.  Due to the psychological 
shock, the older boy was unable to properly describe to the police 
what the man looked like until several days later.  (NOTE:  Post RSO 
cannot confirm reports of this incident.  END NOTE.) 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  Over the weekend of April 25, district police officers 
visited residents to gather further information and determine 
whether anyone saw anything suspicious, as well as to warn parents 
not to let children go outside without adults.  In a conversation 
with police during such a visit, the local staff member's 
sister-in-law learned that police believed the killer was someone 
from the neighborhood who had access to the basement and knew the 
area well. 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  Residents learned the week of April 27 that a resident of 
apartment building 144 in the same microdistrict, a 20-25 year old 
man named Polat, was suspected of both murders and was detained by 
police the same week.  (NOTE:  Another report claimed that the 
attacker was a 16-year old boy from the neighborhood with a history 
of mental problems.  END NOTE.)  The police believe they have found 
the murder weapon, a knife that belonged to the suspect in his 
apartment.  The local staff member learned that blood was found on 
the suspect's shoes and clothes, although his clothes had already 
been washed.  Reportedly, the suspect's mother, who was a teacher at 
School Number 50, was fired the next day.  The suspect's father also 
had a criminal background and had served a prison term for murder. 
The suspect's next door neighbor said that the young male, an ethnic 
Azeri, was mentally ill.  "Sometimes he would say hello, sometimes 
he passed by and said nothing like a psycho.  His behavior was 
strange.  He was definitely sick," the suspect's neighbor said.  The 
police believe the suspect may also have been a drug addict and may 
have smoked hashish before committing both murders. 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  The word of these incidents shocked the residents of not 
only the eleventh microdistrict, but the whole city.  (NOTE:  The 
 
ASHGABAT 00000568  002 OF 002 
 
 
International School, which the children of U.S. citizens here 
attend, had even heard about the killings through the rumor mill. 
END NOTE.)  The state-controlled press did not report the murders, 
since it does not publish any articles on criminal activity as a 
rule.  The new government, like the previous one, never publicly 
discloses crime rates nor does it publish crime statistics.  During 
a session of the State Security Council of Turkmenistan on April 
17th, the Minister of Internal Affairs' report to the President was 
limited to work currently underway to maintain social order, reduce 
the crime rate, and to enhance traffic safety in the country. 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  COMMENT:  This type of violent crime seems to be very 
rare here, judging from the rate at which news of it traveled across 
the capital.  Given that the government does not make public any 
information it has regarding crime, it may also be that because 
citizens do not have access to such information, it is even more 
shocking than crimes of this magnitude would be in a more open 
society.  Residents of the affected microdistrict may be heaving a 
sigh of relief that the culprit has been caught.  However, it may 
also serve as a reminder of government refusal to inform the public 
of continuing or impending public threats.  Nevertheless, it is 
encouraging that police sought input from residents in the effort to 
catch the perpetrator, and shared some of what they knew, at least 
with neighbors.  END COMMENT. 
 
MILES