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PP RUEHIK
DE RUEHAH #1301/01 2880856
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 150856Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3615
INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
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RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 001301 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, INL/AAE BUHLER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM SNAR PGOV SOCI TX
SUBJECT:  TURKMENISTAN: AN APPARENT DECREASE IN THEFT 
 
ASHGABAT 00001301  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  (U)  Sensitive but unclassified.  Not for public 
Internet. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  SUMMARY:  Theft is the second most common 
type of crime in Turkmenistan, drug crime being the 
most common.  Although former President Niyazov 
sentenced many criminals, including the heads of 
criminal networks, to death in the early 90's, the 
occurrence of theft later increased as the rate of 
drug addiction began to climb.  The most common types 
of theft in Turkmenistan are pickpocketing, 
shoplifting, and stealing jewelry.  There have also 
been instances of burglary, armed robbery, and motor 
vehicle theft.  According to several sources, theft 
has decreased in recent years.  Many attribute the 
decrease to President Berdimuhamedov's refusal to 
grant pardons to those convicted of drug crimes.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  Theft is believed to be the second most 
common type of crime in Turkmenistan (after those 
involving illegal narcotics) since the break-up of the 
USSR.  Although no official crime statistics are 
provided or published by the Turkmen government, a 
local police captain and Embassy contact told us that 
drugs and petty theft crimes are the most prevalent, 
and that among the latter, the most common are 
pickpocketing, shoplifting, home robberies, car stereos 
and the theft of jewelry.  More serious crimes such as 
burglary, armed robbery, or motor vehicle thefts also 
occur, but much less frequently. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  The number of thefts in Turkmenstan went up 
towards the end of the Soviet Union and in the early 
1990's.  Within Turkmenistan, the northern city of 
Charjou (later renamed Turkmenabat) was believed to 
have one of the highest rates of crime in the Soviet 
Union, second only to Odessa, Ukraine.  To combat the 
trend, former President Niyazov in 1992 ordered the 
arrests of more than 100 criminal leaders, and several 
dozen were sentenced to death.  Images of the dead 
bodies of the executed were broadcast on state 
television.  Among those arrested was a well-known 
crime boss from Ashgabat's Hitrovka district, known by 
the name Aymurad.  His crime network reportedly 
threatened the public and was behind many home break- 
ins, robberies, and motor vehicle thefts.  As one 
Ashgabat resident put it, "In the late 80's, when 
Aymurad was around, everyone had to keep a stick in 
their bedrooms to defend ourselves in case bandits 
broke into the house at night.  There were break-ins 
and car thefts reported every week.  Even our 
apartment was burglarized and our neighbor's new Lada 
was stolen from his garage."  After Aymurad and his 
associates were arrested and executed, the number of 
crimes in Turkmenistan reportedly went down 
significantly. 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  Later, during the late 1990's, the rise in 
drug addiction was accompanied by an increase in petty 
theft, such as pick pocketing.  Pickpocketing 
normally occurred in markets and on public 
transportation.  Shoplifting was somewhat less popular 
among drug addicts, as stolen goods then had to be 
resold, whereas most addicts preferred crimes that 
yielded quick cash.  Auto stereo thefts were popular 
as the equipment could easily be resold for a tenth of 
its value.  (One local contact had his car broken into 
and stereo stolen twice in the same year).  Car break- 
ins also often occurred to steal purses or car 
batteries, and tires were frequently stolen from 
 
ASHGABAT 00001301  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
vehicles. 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  Another common type of theft in 
Turkmenistan is the stealing of jewelry, which can 
easily be converted into cash.  Thieves normally rip 
the necklace or earrings from a female victim.  (One 
woman reported that an addict attacked her right in 
front of her home in Ashgabat).  This has been 
especially common at bus stops, where thieves 
approached unsuspecting victims from behind. 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  After the convictions and executions of the 
crime bosses in 1992, car theft became rare, and most 
people now feel comfortable parking their cars on the 
street at night.  According to an Interior Ministry 
official, there were only two car thefts during all of 
¶2008.  In both cases, reportedly committed by drug 
addicts, the car owners had left the car unlocked 
and the keys in the ignition.  Armed robberies and 
burglaries are also uncommon now.  The only recent 
known case of armed robbery occurred at a gas station 
in Geok Depe village in August 2008.  There have been 
occasional reports of addicts robbing victims at 
knifepoint. 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  Many attribute the decrease in theft during 
the past few years to President Berdimuhamedov's 
refusal to grant pardons to those convicted of drug 
crimes.  As the number of addicts in communities has 
decreased, so has petty theft.  As a Mary resident put 
it, "Two years ago, we couldn't leave even a shovel 
unattended in the yard or it would disappear right 
away.  Drug addicts in our village would steal 
everything not nailed down.  Now, however, there are 
hardly any thefts."  Another Ashgabat resident noted 
that his neighborhood is much more peaceful now, and 
observed that addicts now prefer regular employment, 
such as washing cars or gardening, to support their 
drug habits.  "They know that if they steal, they have 
no chance of being amnestied." 
 
¶9.  (SBU) COMMENT:  Drug addicts in Turkmenistan are 
blamed not only for theft, but also for violent crimes 
such as murder and rape.  Most Turkmen see the 
government's recent policy of refusing to pardon drug 
addicts before the completion of their prison 
sentences as the reason for lower crime rates in 
their communities.  END COMMENT. 
 
CURRAN