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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BISHKEK 001331 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
SCA/PPD FOR DIAN MCDONALD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO PGOV PREL KG
SUBJECT: KYRGYZSTAN: GROWING CONCERN ABOUT ATTACKS ON 
JOURNALISTS 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  Over the past several months there have been 
a number of physical attacks and intimidation attempts 
targeting journalists and political analysts in Kyrgyzstan. 
The December 16 murder in Almaty of Kyrgyz journalist Gennadi 
Pavlyuk raised the international profile of the attacks. 
While there is a growing concern among journalists in 
Kyrgyzstan, the motives and the actors behind the attacks and 
threats remain unclear.  End summary. 
 
Attack on journalist Pavlyuk 
---------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) Journalist Gennadi Pavlyuk was attacked in Almaty on 
December 16.  He reportedly was thrown from a sixth-story 
apartment window with his arms and legs bound with duct tape. 
 Although he survived the initial fall, he later died in the 
hospital on December 21.  Press contacts in Bishkek do not 
know why Pavlyuk was in Almaty or who would want to kill him. 
 Most note that he had not written many stories in 2009. 
 
¶3. (U)  Pavlyuk was a well known opposition journalist and 
editor who recently has been in discussions with Omurbek 
Tekebaev's Ata Meken political party to create a news web 
site for the party.  Some speculate that Pavlyuk's death was 
connected to the news website and Tekebaev has spoken out 
saying that "I think that this is a politically motivated 
crime...in order to restrict freedom of speech in 
Kyrgyzstan."  Tekebaev also speculated that Pavlyuk was lured 
to Almaty to discuss financing for the proposed web 
publication. 
 
¶4. (U)  Although the local opposition papers have all carried 
the story of the attack on Pavlyuk and his subsequent death, 
none of the government run or heavily government influenced 
papers have carried the story.  Even Argumenti Facti, a 
newspaper where he previously worked as an editor, did not 
carry the story of the attack or his death.  In addition, 
only one independent television 
news station carried the story.  So far it has not been 
covered by either KTR, the national television station, or 
Channel 5, which is reportedly controlled by Maksim Bakiyev. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) On December 23, Mariya Rasner, head of Internews, a 
media training organization, and Marat Tokaev, chairman of 
the Journalist Association, met with Ilim Karybekov, 
spokesperson for the Presidential Secretariat, to discuss the 
recent attacks.  According to Rasner, Karybekov  stated that 
the Secretariat did not have any additional information about 
the killing of Pavlyuk.  Karybekov also promised to get the 
national television station and Channel 5 to cover the story. 
 In an interview with Radio Free Europe, Karybekov stated 
that "attacks on journalists, the use of force against them 
in the Kyrgyz Republic have increased...(the police) are 
trying hard to investigate these cases." 
 
Recent violence and threats 
--------------------------- 
 
¶6. (U)  The attack on Pavlyuk came on the heels of several 
other incidents of intimidation against journalists and 
political analysts.  On December 15, a local-government-owned 
paper in Osh, Osh Shamy, received two threatening anonymous 
letters.  One of the envelopes included a bullet from an 
AK-47 and was accompanied by the message that the other 
bullets were waiting in the gun's magazine.  In addition to 
the threats, a reporter from Osh Shamy was attacked by three 
unidentified men on the night of November 2.  Local police 
have said that it was simply a criminal attack, but the 
journalist stated he believed it was connected to articles 
that he had written that were critical of corruption at the 
local branch of the most important national university. 
 
¶7.  (U) On December 9, a pro-Russian political analyst, 
Alexander Knyazev, was beaten.  On the same day, Bolot 
 
BISHKEK 00001331  002 OF 002 
 
 
Januzakov, a political figure and Chief of Staff of former 
President Askar Akayev was also attacked.  On December 15, a 
Russian journalist was beaten in Bishkek.  While he 
originally claimed he was beaten by two men in uniform who 
referred to his journalistic activities, he later retracted 
his statement.  Shortly afterwards, several journalists 
received a threatening email that referred to the attack on 
Knyazev and said "Knyazev did not hear the first time. 
Listen, we are warning you.  All of you Russians, Koreans, 
Armenians, ...and all Akayev supporters, you need to leave 
our Kyrgyzstan and not interfere in our life.  We know you 
all."  Although several journalists received the email, the 
threat in the email was against foreigners, not journalists. 
 
¶8. (U) In addition to the attacks and threats, earlier this 
month, the Supreme Court rejected an appeal by the family of 
Alisher Saipov, a journalist murdered in 2007, to re-open the 
case.  The family believes that the police have falsely 
identified a well-known criminal as the culprit instead of 
properly investigating the murder of Saipov. 
 
Reaction of the media community 
------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (U) On December 22, representatives from local press 
organizations met to discuss the response of the journalist 
community to the recent events.  One of the conclusions in 
the report from the meeting is: "in most cases of recent 
journalist attacks it is hard to establish relationship 
between the attack and reporter's professional activity." 
 
10 (SBU) On December 23, PAO and Pol/Econ Chief met with 
Mariya Rasner, from Internews, to discuss the results of the 
meeting and the reaction of the journalist community to the 
recent attacks.  Rasner stated the there is growing fear in 
the media community, but that they have no clear picture as 
to who has been behind the recent attacks and intimidation. 
She added that they are not even sure who in the government 
they should address their concerns to as "they don't know who 
has the power to stop the attacks."  She described the 
picture of the attacks and threats as "chaotic".  Even in the 
recent Pavlyuk case, she said there is no clear political 
motive behind the attack.  Although he had written some 
pieces critical of the first family, she said none of them 
were remarkable.  In addition, she described the website 
project as non-threatening as Ata Meken party is relatively 
weak.  Yet, she opined that this is clearly not just random 
crime and was directed towards Pavlyuk as a journalist. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶11. (SBU) It is unclear whether journalism in Kyrgyzstan is 
facing a concerted threat so sophisticated that it has been 
impossible to clearly identify it, or whether it is the 
general lack of security and competent law enforcement which 
has left journalists, like much of the population, vulnerable 
to violent attack.  The motives behind recent attacks and 
intimidation remain unclear, and may vary from case to case. 
That makes it difficult for press organizations, human rights 
NGOs, or indeed, for us to respond effectively.  Even the 
murder of Pavlyuk has left the media community confused as 
there is no clear line that can be drawn to his professional 
activity.  Regardless of the source, however, there is 
clearly growing fear in the media community, which will 
affect its operations. 
MEMMOTT