VZCZCXRO2942
PP RUEHIK
DE RUEHAH #0093/01 0201420
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 201420Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4100
INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 6146
RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI 0007
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 4388
RHMCSUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000093 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN AND INL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM PGOV PHUM PREL TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: CSI COMES TO ASHGABAT 
 
ASHGABAT 00000093  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified.  Not for public Internet. 
 
¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY: Turkmen forensic specialists and police 
detectives participated in a basic Crime Scene Investigation 
(CSI) training course in Ashgabat last week.  During the 
training, participants learned everything from how to lift 
fingerprints and shoeprints to enhancing the use of digital 
photographs of crime scenes.  In a departure from the often 
reticent behavior of Turkmen officials in international 
trainings or conferences, the mood of the course was lively, 
with unprecented participation.  Feedback from the 
participants, particularly the General Prosecutor's Office, 
was positive.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶3. (U) Three U.S. forensic experts put on a five-day training 
course on crime scene investigation in Ashgabat the week of 
January 11.  The training, funded by INL, was part of 
DOJ/ICITAP's (International Criminal Investigative Training 
Assistance Program) ongoing forensic assistance program with 
the Turkmen government.  The goal of the course was to 
improve the quality of physical evidence introduced in 
Turkmen criminal prosecutions.  The collection of higher 
quality physical evidence reduces the need to rely on 
testimonial evidence at trial.  The course focused on 
fingerprints, shoeprints, the use of sketches, digital 
photography, the chain of custody of physical evidence and 
case studies. 
 
¶4. (U) The 25 course participants came from the General 
Prosecutor's Office (13), the Interior Ministry (7), and the 
State Counternarcotics Service (5), and represented all five 
provinces in Turkmenistan.  Most of the participants were 
forensic experts, and the rest detectives. 
 
PAINTING WITH LIGHT 
 
¶5. (U)  Many of the participants were amazed to learn that 
even dark crime scene photos can be made bright, and objects 
visible, through the injection of light on the image.  Most 
expressed a particular interest in the use of digital 
photography, and the student who was selected at the end as 
the best course participant, prosecutor Murad Annamuradov, 
received an infrared digital camera as a gift from the 
instructors. 
 
CASE STUDIES 
 
¶6. (U) The trainers divided the participants into four 
groups, each of which presented an actual case study 
encountered in their work.  One case presented by a team of 
prosecutors involved a difficult murder/suicide case in 
Ashgabat, and how physical evidence was used to solve it. 
Another told of the case he investigated in 1999 of the 
murder of an Amcit employee of the Halliburton company in 
Balkanabat.  He noted that the autopsy findings were 
surprisingly fast and accurate regarding the cause and time 
of death.  In their own presentations, the trainers also gave 
details of difficult cases they had solved in their own work, 
and the role of forensics. 
 
UNPRECEDENTED PARTICIPATION 
 
¶7. (SBU) In general, Turkmen prosecutors are more educated 
than other government officials and do not report to the 
Ministry of National Security.  They therefore tend to be 
more open and engaged during international conferences and 
training sessions.  Most officials, however, tend not to talk 
or ask questions in such gatherings, often skip classes or 
otherwise fail to participate.  The CSI students, in 
contrast, were extremely active and engaged.  We attribute 
the difference in this case to a number of factors, including 
the experience level of the trainers, and particularly the 
warmth they conveyed, which put the class at ease.  This 
created an environment that motivated the students to 
participate in discussions.  Two of the trainers had been to 
Turkmenistan previously and were familiar with local 
conditions.  The students were also fascinated with the 
 
ASHGABAT 00000093  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
background of the third trainer, a coroner, and the fact that 
he works in Las Vegas, a place of allure for many Turkmen and 
a frequent destination for first-time travelers to the U.S. 
(At the graduation ceremony, many referred to him as "Mr. Las 
Vegas" and clamored to have photos taken with him). 
 
¶8. (U) It was also helpful that at the end of each training 
day, several participants deemed the most active for that 
session were rewarded with a "Leatherman" multitool, an 
object of great interest to the mostly-male group of 
participants (there were also two female students, who 
appeared less interested in winning a multitool). 
 
¶9. (SBU) COMMENT:  The CSI training was a success on all 
levels, both in substance and, even more importantly, in the 
opportunities it gave to build rapport with our Turkmen law 
enforcement colleagues.  One participant, senior prosecutor 
Batyr Kulhanov of the General Prosecutor's Office, commented 
that the seminar was well organized and that the subjects 
were taught "at the highest level."  We also learned this 
week that General Prosecutor Hojamyradov had called a meeting 
with participants who attended from his office, noting to the 
group, "There is a lot for us to learn from Americans.  They 
are real professionals in what they do."  END COMMENT. 
CURRAN