

Currently released so far... 51122 / 251,287
Articles
Brazil
Sri Lanka
United Kingdom
Sweden
00. Editorial
United States
Latin America
Egypt
Jordan
Yemen
Thailand
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
2011/03/22
2011/03/23
2011/03/24
2011/03/25
2011/03/26
2011/03/27
2011/03/28
2011/03/29
2011/03/30
2011/03/31
2011/04/01
2011/04/02
2011/04/03
2011/04/04
2011/04/05
2011/04/06
2011/04/07
2011/04/08
2011/04/09
2011/04/10
2011/04/11
2011/04/12
2011/04/13
2011/04/14
2011/04/15
2011/04/16
2011/04/17
2011/04/18
2011/04/19
2011/04/20
2011/04/21
2011/04/22
2011/04/23
2011/04/24
2011/04/25
2011/04/26
2011/04/27
2011/04/28
2011/04/29
2011/04/30
2011/05/01
2011/05/02
2011/05/03
2011/05/04
2011/05/05
2011/05/06
2011/05/07
2011/05/08
2011/05/09
2011/05/10
2011/05/11
2011/05/12
2011/05/13
2011/05/14
2011/05/15
2011/05/16
2011/05/17
2011/05/18
2011/05/19
2011/05/20
2011/05/21
2011/05/22
2011/05/23
2011/05/24
2011/05/25
2011/05/26
2011/05/27
2011/05/28
2011/05/29
2011/05/30
2011/05/31
2011/06/01
2011/06/02
2011/06/03
2011/06/04
2011/06/05
2011/06/06
2011/06/07
2011/06/08
2011/06/09
2011/06/10
2011/06/11
2011/06/12
2011/06/13
2011/06/14
2011/06/15
2011/06/16
2011/06/17
2011/06/18
2011/06/19
2011/06/20
2011/06/21
2011/06/22
2011/06/23
2011/06/24
2011/06/25
2011/06/26
2011/06/27
2011/06/28
2011/06/29
2011/06/30
2011/07/01
2011/07/02
2011/07/04
2011/07/05
2011/07/06
2011/07/07
2011/07/08
2011/07/10
2011/07/11
2011/07/12
2011/07/13
2011/07/14
2011/07/15
2011/07/16
2011/07/17
2011/07/18
2011/07/19
2011/07/20
2011/07/21
2011/07/22
2011/07/23
2011/07/25
2011/07/27
2011/07/28
2011/07/29
2011/07/31
2011/08/01
2011/08/02
2011/08/03
2011/08/05
2011/08/06
2011/08/07
2011/08/08
2011/08/09
2011/08/10
2011/08/11
2011/08/12
2011/08/13
2011/08/15
2011/08/16
2011/08/17
2011/08/18
2011/08/19
2011/08/21
2011/08/22
2011/08/23
2011/08/24
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Apia
Embassy Antananarivo
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Auckland
Consulate Amsterdam
Consulate Alexandria
Consulate Adana
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embasy Bonn
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Brazzaville
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belmopan
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangui
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Belfast
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Cotonou
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chiang Mai
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Chengdu
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dili
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
DIR FSINFATC
Consulate Dusseldorf
Consulate Durban
Consulate Dubai
Consulate Dhahran
Embassy Guatemala
Embassy Grenada
Embassy Georgetown
Embassy Gaborone
Consulate Guayaquil
Consulate Guangzhou
Consulate Guadalajara
Embassy Helsinki
Embassy Harare
Embassy Hanoi
Consulate Hong Kong
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Consulate Hermosillo
Consulate Hamilton
Consulate Hamburg
Consulate Halifax
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kolonia
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kingston
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Krakow
Consulate Kolkata
Consulate Karachi
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Lusaka
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Lome
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy Libreville
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Leipzig
Consulate Lahore
Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE
Mission USNATO
Mission UNESCO
Mission Geneva
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Mogadishu
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maseru
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manila
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Consulate Merida
Consulate Melbourne
Consulate Matamoros
Consulate Marseille
Embassy Nouakchott
Embassy Nicosia
Embassy Niamey
Embassy New Delhi
Embassy Ndjamena
Embassy Nassau
Embassy Nairobi
Consulate Nuevo Laredo
Consulate Naples
Consulate Naha
Consulate Nagoya
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Praia
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Of Spain
Embassy Port Moresby
Embassy Port Louis
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Podgorica
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Hillah
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Suva
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Surabaya
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate St Petersburg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sapporo
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy Tirana
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Toronto
Consulate Tijuana
Consulate Thessaloniki
USUN New York
USMISSION USTR GENEVA
USEU Brussels
US Office Almaty
US Mission Geneva
US Mission CD Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
UN Rome
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius
Embassy Vientiane
Embassy Vienna
Embassy Vatican
Embassy Valletta
Consulate Vladivostok
Consulate Vancouver
Browse by tag
AMGT
ASEC
AEMR
AR
APECO
AU
AORC
ADANA
AJ
AF
AFIN
AMED
AS
AM
ABLD
AFFAIRS
AMB
APER
ACOA
AND
AA
AE
AADP
AID
AO
AL
AG
AORD
ADM
AINF
AINT
ASEAN
AORG
ABT
APEC
AY
ASUP
ARF
AGOA
AVIAN
ATRN
ANET
AGIT
ASECVE
ABUD
AODE
ALOW
ADB
AN
ADPM
ASPA
ARABL
AFSN
AZ
AC
AIAG
AFSI
ASCE
ASIG
ACABQ
ADIP
AFGHANISTAN
AROC
ADCO
ACOTA
ANARCHISTS
AMEDCASCKFLO
AK
ARABBL
ASCH
ANTITERRORISM
AGRICULTURE
AOCR
ARR
ASSEMBLY
AORCYM
AFPK
ACKM
AGMT
AEC
APRC
AIN
AFPREL
ASFC
ASECTH
AFSA
AINR
AOPC
AFAF
AFARI
AX
ASECAF
ASECAFIN
AT
AFZAL
APCS
AGAO
AIT
ARCH
AEMRASECCASCKFLOMARRPRELPINRAMGTJMXL
AMEX
ARM
AQ
ATFN
AMBASSADOR
AORCD
AVIATION
ARAS
AINFCY
ACBAQ
AOPR
AREP
AOIC
ASEX
ASEK
AER
AGR
AMCT
AVERY
APR
AEMRS
AFU
AMG
ATPDEA
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
AORL
ACS
AMCHAMS
AECL
AUC
ACAO
BA
BR
BB
BG
BEXP
BY
BRUSSELS
BU
BD
BTIO
BK
BL
BE
BMGT
BO
BM
BX
BN
BWC
BBSR
BTT
BC
BH
BILAT
BUSH
BHUM
BT
BTC
BMENA
BOND
BAIO
BP
BF
BRPA
BURNS
BUT
BBG
BCW
BOEHNER
BOL
BASHAR
BIDEN
BFIN
BZ
BEXPC
BTIU
CPAS
CA
CASC
CS
CBW
CIDA
CO
CODEL
CI
CROS
CU
CH
CWC
CMGT
CVIS
CDG
CTR
CG
CF
CHIEF
CJAN
CBSA
CE
CY
CB
CW
CM
CHR
CD
COE
CV
COUNTER
CT
CN
CPUOS
CTERR
CVR
CVPR
CDC
COUNTRY
CLEARANCE
CONS
COM
CACS
CR
CONTROLS
CAN
CACM
COMMERCE
CAMBODIA
CFIS
COUNTERTERRORISM
CITES
CONDOLEEZZA
CZ
CTBT
CEN
CLINTON
CFED
CARC
CTM
CARICOM
CSW
CICTE
CYPRUS
CBE
CMGMT
CARSON
CWCM
CIVS
COUNTRYCLEARANCE
CENTCOM
CAPC
COPUOS
CKGR
CITEL
CQ
CITT
CIC
CARIB
CVIC
CAFTA
CVISU
CDB
CEDAW
CNC
CJUS
COMMAND
CENTER
COL
CAJC
CONSULAR
CLMT
CBC
CIA
CNARC
CIS
CEUDA
CHINA
CAC
CL
DR
DJ
DEMOCRATIC
DEMARCHE
DOMESTIC
DISENGAGEMENT
DB
DA
DHS
DAO
DCM
DAVID
DO
DEAX
DEFENSE
DEA
DTRO
DPRK
DOC
DTRA
DK
DAC
DOD
DRL
DRC
DCG
DE
DOT
DEPT
DOE
DS
DKEM
ECON
ETTC
EFIS
ETRD
EC
EMIN
EAGR
EAID
EFIN
EUN
ECIN
EG
EWWT
EINV
ENRG
ELAB
EPET
EIND
EN
EAIR
EUMEM
ECPS
ES
EI
ELTN
ET
EZ
EU
ER
EINT
ENGR
ECONOMIC
ENIV
EFTA
ETRN
EMS
EUREM
EPA
ESTH
EEB
EET
ENV
EAG
EXIM
ECTRD
ELNT
ENVIRONMENT
ECA
EAP
EINDIR
ETR
ECONOMY
ETRC
ELECTIONS
EICN
EXPORT
EARG
EGHG
EID
ETRO
EINF
EAIDHO
ECIP
EENV
EURM
EPEC
ERNG
ENERG
EIAD
EXBS
ED
EREL
ELAM
EK
EWT
ENGRD
EDEV
ECE
ENGY
EXIMOPIC
ETRDEC
ECCT
EUR
ENRGPARMOTRASENVKGHGPGOVECONTSPLEAID
EFI
ECOSOC
EXTERNAL
ESCAP
ETCC
EENG
ERA
ENRD
ECLAC
ETRAD
EBRD
ENVR
ECONENRG
ELTNSNAR
ELAP
EPIT
EDUC
EAIDXMXAXBXFFR
EETC
EIVN
EDRC
EGOV
ETRA
EAIDRW
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ESA
ETRDGK
ENVI
ELN
EPRT
EPTED
ERTD
EUM
EAIDS
EFINECONEAIDUNGAGM
EDU
EV
EAIDAF
EDA
EPREL
EINVEFIN
EAGER
ETMIN
EUCOM
ECCP
EIDN
EINVKSCA
ENNP
EFINECONCS
ETC
EAIRASECCASCID
EINN
ETRP
ECONOMICS
ENERGY
EIAR
EINDETRD
ECONEFIN
EURN
ETRDEINVTINTCS
EFIM
ETIO
EATO
EIPR
EINVETC
ETTD
ETDR
EIQ
ECONCS
ENRGIZ
EAIG
ENTG
EUC
ERD
EINVECONSENVCSJA
EEPET
EUNCH
ESENV
ECINECONCS
ETRDECONWTOCS
ECUN
FR
FI
FOREIGN
FARM
FIR
FAO
FK
FARC
FAS
FJ
FREEDOM
FAC
FINANCE
FBI
FTAA
FM
FCS
FAA
FORCE
FDA
FTA
FT
FCSC
FMGT
FINR
FIN
FDIC
FOR
FOI
FO
FMLN
FISO
GM
GERARD
GT
GA
GG
GR
GTIP
GH
GZ
GE
GB
GY
GAZA
GJ
GEORGE
GOI
GCC
GMUS
GI
GLOBAL
GV
GC
GL
GOV
GKGIC
GF
GWI
GIPNC
GUTIERREZ
GTMO
GANGS
GAERC
GUILLERMO
GASPAR
HR
HA
HYMPSK
HO
HK
HUMAN
HU
HN
HHS
HURI
HUD
HUMRIT
HUMANITARIAN
HUMANR
HL
HSTC
HILLARY
HCOPIL
HADLEY
HOURANI
HI
HUM
HEBRON
HUMOR
IZ
IN
IAEA
IS
IMO
ILO
IR
IC
IT
ITU
ID
IV
IMF
IBRD
IWC
ICAO
ICRC
INF
IO
IPR
ISO
IK
ISRAELI
IQ
ICES
IDB
INFLUENZA
IRAQI
ISCON
IGAD
IRAN
ITALY
IRAQ
ICTY
ICTR
ITPGOV
ITALIAN
IQNV
IADB
INTERNAL
INMARSAT
IRDB
ILC
INCB
INRB
ICJ
ISRAEL
INR
IEA
ISPA
ICCAT
IOM
ITRD
IHO
IL
IFAD
ITRA
IDLI
ISCA
INL
INRA
INTELSAT
ISAF
ISPL
IRS
IEF
ITER
INDO
IIP
IND
IEFIN
IACI
IAHRC
INNP
IA
INTERPOL
IFIN
ISSUES
IZPREL
IRAJ
IF
ITPHUM
ITA
IP
IRPE
IDA
ISLAMISTS
ITF
INRO
IBET
IDP
IRC
KMDR
KPAO
KOMC
KNNP
KFLO
KDEM
KSUM
KIPR
KFLU
KE
KCRM
KJUS
KAWC
KZ
KSCA
KDRG
KCOR
KGHG
KPAL
KTIP
KMCA
KCRS
KPKO
KOLY
KRVC
KVPR
KG
KWBG
KTER
KS
KN
KSPR
KWMN
KV
KTFN
KFRD
KU
KSTC
KSTH
KISL
KGIC
KSEP
KFIN
KTEX
KTIA
KUNR
KCMR
KCIP
KMOC
KTDB
KBIO
KBCT
KMPI
KSAF
KACT
KFEM
KPRV
KPWR
KIRC
KCFE
KRIM
KHIV
KHLS
KVIR
KNNNP
KCEM
KLIG
KIRF
KNUP
KSAC
KNUC
KPGOV
KTDD
KIDE
KOMS
KLFU
KNNC
KMFO
KSEO
KJRE
KJUST
KMRS
KSRE
KGIT
KPIR
KPOA
KUWAIT
KIVP
KICC
KSCS
KPOL
KSEAO
KRCM
KSCI
KNAP
KGLB
KICA
KCUL
KPRM
KFSC
KQ
KPOP
KPFO
KPALAOIS
KREC
KBWG
KR
KTTB
KNAR
KCOM
KESS
KINR
KOCI
KWN
KCSY
KREL
KTBT
KFTN
KW
KRFD
KFLOA
KHDP
KNEP
KIND
KHUM
KSKN
KOMO
KDRL
KTFIN
KSOC
KPO
KGIV
KSTCPL
KSI
KPRP
KFPC
KNNB
KNDP
KICCPUR
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KDMR
KFCE
KIMMITT
KMCC
KMNP
KSEC
KOMCSG
KGCC
KRAD
KCRP
KAUST
KWAWC
KCHG
KRDP
KPAS
KTIAPARM
KPAOPREL
KWGB
KIRP
KMIG
KLAB
KSEI
KHSA
KNPP
KPAONZ
KWWW
KGHA
KY
KCRIM
KCRCM
KGCN
KPLS
KIIP
KPAOY
KTRD
KTAO
KJU
KBTS
KWAC
KFIU
KNNO
KPAI
KILS
KPA
KRCS
KWBGSY
KNPPIS
KNNPMNUC
KNPT
KERG
KLTN
KPREL
KTLA
KO
KAWK
KVRP
KAID
KX
KENV
KWCI
KNPR
KCFC
KNEI
KFTFN
KTFM
KCERS
KDEMAF
KMEPI
KEMS
KBTR
KEDU
KIRL
KNNR
KMPT
KPDD
KPIN
KDEV
KFRP
KTBD
KMSG
KWWMN
KWBC
KA
KOM
KWNM
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KRGY
KNNF
KICR
KIFR
KWMNCS
KPAK
KDDG
KCGC
KID
KNSD
KMPF
KWMM
MARR
MX
MASS
MOPS
MNUC
MCAP
MTCRE
MRCRE
MTRE
MASC
MY
MK
MG
MU
MILI
MO
MZ
MEPP
MCC
MEDIA
MOPPS
MI
MAS
MW
MP
MEPN
MV
MD
MR
MC
MCA
MT
MIL
MARITIME
MOPSGRPARM
MAAR
MOOPS
ML
MA
MN
MNUCPTEREZ
MTCR
MUNC
MPOS
MONUC
MGMT
MURRAY
MACP
MINUSTAH
MCCONNELL
MGT
MNUR
MF
MEPI
MOHAMMAD
MAR
MAPP
MNU
MFA
MTS
MLS
MEETINGS
MERCOSUR
MED
MNVC
MIK
MBM
MILITARY
MAPS
MARAD
MDC
MACEDONIA
MASSMNUC
MUCN
MQADHAFI
MPS
NZ
NATO
NI
NO
NU
NG
NL
NPT
NS
NA
NP
NASA
NSF
NEA
NANCY
NSG
NRR
NATIONAL
NMNUC
NC
NSC
NAS
NARC
NELSON
NATEU
NDP
NIH
NK
NIPP
NR
NERG
NSSP
NE
NTDB
NT
NEGROPONTE
NGO
NATOIRAQ
NAR
NZUS
NCCC
NH
NAFTA
NEW
NRG
NUIN
NOVO
NATOPREL
NV
NICHOLAS
NPA
NSFO
NW
NORAD
NPG
NOAA
OPRC
OPDC
OTRA
OECD
OVIP
OREP
ODC
OIIP
OAS
OSCE
OPIC
OMS
OFDP
OFDA
OEXC
OPCW
OIE
OSCI
OM
OPAD
ODPC
OIC
ODIP
OPPI
ORA
OCEA
OREG
OMIG
OFFICIALS
OSAC
OEXP
OPEC
OFPD
OAU
OCII
OIL
OVIPPRELUNGANU
OSHA
OPCD
OPCR
OF
OFDPQIS
OSIC
OHUM
OTR
OBSP
OGAC
OESC
OVP
ON
OES
OTAR
OCS
PREL
PGOV
PARM
PINR
PHUM
PM
PREF
PTER
PK
PINS
PBIO
PHSA
PE
PBTS
PA
PL
POL
PAK
POV
POLITICS
POLICY
PO
PRELTBIOBA
PKO
PIN
PNAT
PU
PGOVPREL
PALESTINIAN
PTERPGOV
PELOSI
PAS
PP
PTEL
PROP
PRELAF
PRHUM
PRE
PUNE
PIRF
PVOV
PROG
PERSONS
PROV
PKK
PRGOV
PH
PLAB
PDEM
PCI
PRL
PRM
PINSO
PERM
PETR
PPAO
PERL
PBS
PETERS
PRELBR
PCON
POLITICAL
PMIL
POLM
PKPA
PNUM
PLO
PTERM
PJUS
PARMP
PNIR
PHUMKPAL
PG
PREZ
PGIC
PAO
PROTECTION
PRELPK
PGOVENRG
PATTY
PSOC
PARTIES
PGOVEAIDUKNOSWGMHUCANLLHFRSPITNZ
PMIG
PAIGH
PARK
PETER
PHUS
PKPO
PGOVECON
POUS
PMAR
PWBG
PAR
PGOVGM
PHUH
PTE
PY
POLUN
PDOV
PGOVSOCI
PGOVPM
PRELEVU
PGOR
PBTSRU
PHUMA
PHUMR
PPD
PGV
PRAM
PARMS
PINL
PSI
PKPAL
PPA
PTERE
PGOF
PINO
PREO
PHAS
PAC
PRESL
PORG
PS
PGVO
PKFK
PSOE
PEPR
PINT
PRELP
PREFA
PNG
PTBS
PFOR
PGOVLO
PHUMBA
PREK
PHJM
POLINT
PGOVE
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PECON
PEACE
PROCESS
PLN
PEDRO
PF
PGPV
PCUL
PGGV
PSA
PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA
PGIV
PHUMPREL
POGOV
PEL
PBT
PAMQ
PINF
PSEPC
POSTS
PAHO
PHUMPGOV
PGOC
PNR
RS
RP
RU
RW
RFE
RCMP
RIGHTSPOLMIL
REFORM
RO
ROW
ROBERT
REACTION
REPORT
REGION
RELATIONS
RAY
ROBERTG
RIGHTS
RM
RATIFICATION
RREL
RBI
RICE
ROOD
REL
RODHAM
RGY
RUEHZO
RELIGIOUS
RELFREE
RUEUN
RELAM
RSP
RF
REO
REGIONAL
RUPREL
RI
REMON
RPEL
RSO
SCUL
SENV
SOCI
SZ
SNAR
SO
SP
SU
SY
SI
SMIG
SYR
SA
SW
SF
SR
SYRIA
SNARM
START
SPECIALIST
SG
SNIG
SCI
SGWI
SE
SIPDIS
SANC
SELAB
SN
SETTLEMENTS
SCIENCE
SENVENV
SENS
SPCE
SPAS
SECURITY
SENC
SOCIETY
SOSI
SENVEAGREAIDTBIOECONSOCIXR
SEN
SPECI
ST
SL
SENVCASCEAIDID
SC
SECRETARY
STR
SNA
SOCIS
SADC
SEP
SK
SHUM
SYAI
SMIL
STEPHEN
SNRV
SKCA
SENSITIVE
SECI
SCUD
SCRM
SGNV
SECTOR
SAARC
SENVSXE
SWMN
STEINBERG
SOPN
SOCR
SCRS
SWE
SARS
SNARIZ
SUDAN
SENVQGR
SAN
SM
SFNV
SSA
SPCVIS
SOFA
SCULKPAOECONTU
SENVKGHG
SHI
SEVN
SH
SNARCS
SNARN
SIPRS
TBIO
TW
TRGY
TSPA
TU
TPHY
TI
TX
TH
TIP
TSPL
TNGD
TZ
TS
TC
TK
TURKEY
TERRORISM
TPSL
TINT
TRSY
TERFIN
TPP
TT
TECHNOLOGY
TE
TAGS
TRAFFICKING
TJ
TN
TO
TD
TP
TREATY
TR
TA
TIO
TECH
TF
TRAD
TNDG
TWI
TPSA
TWL
TAUSCHER
TRBY
TL
TV
THPY
TSPAM
TREL
TRT
TNAR
TFIN
TWCH
THOMMA
THOMAS
TERROR
TRY
TBID
UK
UNESCO
UNSC
UNGA
UN
US
UZ
USEU
UG
UP
UNAUS
UNMIK
USTR
UY
USUN
UNEP
UNDC
UV
UNPUOS
UNSCR
USAID
UNODC
UNRCR
UNHCR
UNDP
UNCRIME
UA
UNHRC
UNRWA
UNO
UNCND
UNCHR
USAU
UNICEF
USPS
UNOMIG
UNESCOSCULPRELPHUMKPALCUIRXFVEKV
UR
UNFICYP
UNCITRAL
UNAMA
UNVIE
USTDA
USNC
UNCSD
USCC
UNEF
UNGAPL
USSC
UNMIC
UNTAC
UNCLASSIFIED
USDA
UNCTAD
USGS
UNFPA
UNSE
USOAS
UE
UAE
UNCHS
UNDESCO
UNC
UNSCS
UKXG
UNGACG
UNHR
UNBRO
UNCHC
UNFCYP
UNIDROIT
WHTI
WIPO
WTRO
WHO
WTO
WMO
WFP
WEET
WS
WE
WA
WHA
WBG
WILLIAM
WI
WSIS
WCL
WEBZ
WZ
WW
WWBG
WMD
WWT
WMN
WWARD
WITH
WTRQ
WCO
WEU
WB
WBEG
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 05ANKARA2491, TIP IN TURKEY: TURKISH MEDIA ATTENTION, April 15-
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #05ANKARA2491.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
05ANKARA2491 | 2005-05-02 14:20 | 2011-08-24 01:00 | UNCLASSIFIED | Embassy Ankara |
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 10 ANKARA 002491
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, EUR/PGI, EUR/SE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL KCRM PHUM KWMN SMIG KFRD PREF TU TIP IN TURKEY
SUBJECT: TIP IN TURKEY: TURKISH MEDIA ATTENTION, April 15-
30, 2005
¶1. (U) In response to G/TIP inquiries, national and
international media sources published the following news
articles about TIP in Turkey. Text of articles
originally published in Turkish is provided through
unofficial local FSN translation.
¶2. (U) Published on Wednesday, April 20 in The Messenger,
http://www.messenger.com.ge;
TITLE: Georgians Still Seek Jobs Abroad
BEGIN TEXT: The detention of a bus full of Georgian
women on the Russian-Finnish border in March reiterated
the desperation of a large part of the Georgian
population to find, albeit menial, work.
While investigations indicate they were not heading to
Europe as part of sex-trafficking, they were still
examples of human trafficking - most lacked even basic
cash, few had any idea of the specific route of the
trip and all had received visas for their trip from the
same consular official in Moscow.
This week President Mikheil Saakashvili declared that
Georgia will cancel its visa regime unilaterally with
numerous developed countries. He argues the move will
boost tourism and investments. At the same time, it may
be a preliminary bid to get improved visa rights for
Georgians seeking to travel abroad. However, until
Georgia's economy improves and the problem of
unemployment diminishes, it is unlikely these countries
will be willing to lower requirements.
Ten years ago the Shevardnadze-administration promised
to create one million new jobs in the country but it is
clear that they fell short of this mark. The Citizens
Union, the ruling party at the time, claimed that it
had in fact created many new opportunities and cited as
an example efforts to give state owned lands to rural
inhabitants.
Agricultural work, however small scale, is an important
factor in determining the country's employment rates,
particularly since government statistics count a person
as fully employed if they eke out a living from family
farm plots.
This statistical procedure means the number of
officially unemployed registered in Georgia is much
lower than the number of people who have lost former
jobs. According to the government's 2004 statistical
data, the number of unemployed people totaled 224,000
last year, including 203,300 in urban centers and
41,400 in the villages. The bulk of the unemployed are
registered in Tbilisi, approximately 104,200 persons,
as reports Rezonansi.
Migration is a major reason for the low levels of
unemployment. In 2004, the an estimated 4.7 people for
every 1,000 left the country. By comparison, Romania
has a migration loss of only 0.13 migrants per 1,000
residents. Some of the emigrants take their families
with them while others send money back home to Georgia.
Working legally in a foreign country is an elusive
dream for most Georgian s and instead they look for
jobs in informal sectors, such as construction,
homecare, cleaning and the sex industry.
Current statistics show a majority of Georgian migrants
are in western countries, particularly Turkey, Greece,
Spain, Holland and Belgium. Whereas in Turkey and
Greece an entire family may look for work, in Spain it
is only men who seek jobs, mostly in the construction
industry, reports Rezonansi.
In a recent report on Georgians working abroad, the
paper states salaries in Greece range from EURO 350-800
per month, depending on a person's language skills. In
Spain salaries are higher, with women earning an
average EURO 700 per month. Men working on construction
sites are paid by the hour - EURO 4-8 for unqualified
illegal workers and for EURO 8-10 qualified workers.
Holland is one of the best places for emigrant workers,
the paper states, because they can receive an average
pay of EURO 10 per hour, only slightly less than the
current monthly pension in Georgia. END TEXT.
¶3. (U) Reported by the Sofia News Agency on Wednesday, April
20, http://www.novinite.com/newsletter/:
TITLE: Sofia Lines FBI to Bust Criminal Ring
BEGIN TEXT: Bulgarian policemen have lined FBI agents
to bust a major channel for human trafficking and
forged identity papers manufacture.
The criminal ring has been under watch on the
territories of Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria for six
months, Bulgarian police announced.
Twelve masterminds of the channel have been arrested,
along with an illegal immigrant, and another nine
members of the criminal ring are sought for.
In Bulgaria, the network has spread in Sofia, Pernik,
Kardzhali and Haskovo, Interior Ministry's Secretary
Lieutenant-General Boyko Borissov announced on
Wednesday.
Under the illegal scam, forged documents were made up
in Bulgaria for individuals who had crossed Bulgarian-
Turkish border illegally and sought to further towards
countries of Western Europe, through either Turkey, or
Greece.
Besides identity documents, the criminals have
falsified also driving licenses, visas and euro,
Bulgarian police said. END TEXT.
¶4. (U) Reported by the Anadolu Ajansi on Thursday, April 21:
TITLE: In an Operation Two Hotels Were Raided
and 41 People were Detained, including 37 Women
Allegedly involved in Prostitution
BEGIN TEXT: Istanbul (AA) In an operation two hotels
were raided in Silivri and 41 people, including 37
women, who allegedly were involved in prostitution were
detained.
Units from the Istanbul Police Law and Order and
Foreigners Departments after receiving information
from abroad (on the hotels) put under surveillance the
two hotels in Silivri.
The police discovered that one of the hotels was used
for accommodation and the other for prostitution.
They raided both at the same time.
In the operation 37 foreign women who were involved in
prostitution, as well as two responsible directors of
the hotels and two others who were mediating in
prostitution were detained.
The women in their testimony to the police said that
they voluntarily came to Turkey and (willingly) got
involved in prostitution. They were taken to the
Foreigners Department for deportation.
The other four people were sent to the prosecutor for
legal action. END TEXT.
¶5. (U) Published in Southeast European Times, Thursday,
April 21, http://www.setimes.com:
TITLE: Bulgarian Police, Western Services Smash Human
Trafficking Channel
BEGIN TEXT: SOFIA, Bulgaria -- The interior ministry
announced on Wednesday (20 April) that the National
Service for Fighting Against Organised Crime has broken
a human trafficking channel, with the assistance of the
FBI office in Sofia, as well as German and French
services. The channel, which trafficked illegal
immigrants to EU member states using forged documents,
was under watch for six months in Bulgaria, Greece and
Turkey.
In other news, official statistics suggest employment
in Bulgaria's informal or grey economy was cut almost
twofold in the past two years. It is estimated that
around 14 per cent of all workers are currently engaged
in the grey economy. END TEXT.
¶6. (U) Published in the Turkish Daily News, Thursday, April
21, 2005:
TITLE: Brutal human traffickers in the Balkans
BEGIN TEXT: Belgrade - The Associated Press - Human
traffickers are growing every more brutal, increasingly
targeting children over the internet, in schools and
youth groups, international officials said as they
presented an annual report on Wednesday on human
trafficking in southeastern Europe. "It's an extremely
sophisticated crime network; the faster you respond,
the faster they change trends," said Mary E. Black, a
UNICEF anti-trafficking coordinator and one of the
presenters who launched the report in Belgrade. END
TEXT.
¶7. (U) Reported by the Macedonian Press Agency on Saturday,
April 23, http://www.mpa.gr:
TITLE: Komoutsakos on the Turkish Ambassador Visit to
Thrace
BEGIN TEXT: Athens, 22 April 2005. Greece has nothing
to comment. It has nothing to say and nothing to hide.
Equality before the law is a reality in Thrace and in
accordance with the European standards, principles and
values. Greece is a European country and law is
applied equally on all Greek citizens, stated Foreign
Ministry spokesman Giorgos Koumoutsakos on the occasion
of the visit of the Turkish ambassador to Athens to the
Muslim villages in Thrace, northeastern Greece.
Referring to the 12th Black Sea Economic Cooperation
Foreign Ministers' Council meeting to take place
tomorrow, he said that this is the last ministerial
meeting under Greek Presidency. In the meeting the
BSEC ministers will adopt the Komontini Agreement on
actions concerning the sectors of energy, tourism, good
governance, measures against organized crime and
illegal human trafficking, transportation, market
economic cooperation and specifically, small-medium
sized businesses.
He also underlined the BSEC Greek Presidency was marked
in a way by the signing of the cooperation memorandum
on the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline. END TEXT.
¶8. (U) Published by Sofia BTA on Thursday, April 21:
TITLE: Bulgaria: Further Arrests in Human
Trafficking, ID Counterfeiting Case Announced
BEGIN FBIS TRANSCRIBED TEXT: Khaskovo, April 21
(BTA)-Four more organizers of a ring trafficking people
from Turkey through Bulgaria to the countries of the EU
and counterfeiting IDs have been arrested, Interior
Ministry Chief Secretary General Boyko Borisov said.
He added that the four were arrested in the Pernik-
Sofia region.
The police confiscated computer configurations, hard
discs, passports, driving licenses, including a
passport of a Romanian national.
The operation called "Spectrum" is continuing, General
Borisov said. Some 100 policemen are combing Kurdzhali
region for the three remaining immigrants, Gen. Borisov
said.
General Borisov said in Khaskovo Wednesday (20 April)
that twelve organizers of the ring had been arrested in
a specialized operation of the National Service for
Combating organized Crime and the Regional Directorates
of the Interior in Khashovo, Pernik, Sofia and
Kurdzhzali. The operation is conducted with the
assistance of FBI offices. END TEXT.
¶9. (U) Published by Reuters News on Sunday, April 24:
TITLE: Migrant women trapped in Europe's sex industry
BEGIN TEXT: LONDON, April 24 (Reuters) - The money
Rosa was earning in a Turkish shoe factory was not
enough to support the three children she had left
behind in Ukraine.
Then her new friend in Turkey, Katerina, told her she
could earn $700 a month as a casino waitress in Bosnia
and convinced Rosa to come home with her to Moldova and
then make their way to Bosnia.
"I began to think of all the things I could do to
change my life to help my children, my family."
As the time came to leave Moldova, Katerina said she
had a problem with her passport and would join Rosa in
Bosnia a week later. At the station, she introduced
Rosa to a Romanian man who would accompany her.
Rosa felt something was wrong when she said goodbye and
Katerina just turned away.
"I pushed my feelings aside," said Rosa, who declined
to give her real name. "I don't usually trust anyone,
but I told myself that sometimes you have to have
faith."
Rosa paid Katerina $300 to get her a job but a criminal
gang had already paid Katerina $700 to make Rosa their
slave.
She was smuggled across Europe in cars and once in a
fold-away bed on a train, was sold and resold, beaten,
raped and forced to work in brothels.
She was afraid to escape because her captors had kept
her passport, home address and photos of her children.
Rosa was freed months later in Britain when police
raided a sauna she was working in. But her captors are
still at large.
Poverty, war, open borders and domestic violence are
prompting increasing numbers of people from eastern
Europe and beyond to seek work in the wealthy West.
With governments tightening limits on immigration,
women desperate for work in bars, shops and hotels have
come to rely on crooks to spirit them across borders
using false identities.
"The profits are huge and the money the traffickers
wave in potential victims' faces would certainly
outweigh the salaries they can expect by staying at
home," said Richard Danziger, head of the counter-
trafficking unit of the International Organization for
Migration in Geneva.
On the wrong side of the law in a foreign land, some
of the women find themselves forced into prostitution.
They are powerless to resist their captors. Many have
sex with up to 30 men a day for months on end.
OUT OF SIGHT
The trade in people for forced sex has mushroomed into
a $12 billion industry to rival drug trafficking and
gun-running. Because the victims are locked in rooms or
moved around in secret, it is almost impossible to
trace them.
It also makes quantifying the problem virtually
impossible. Five years ago, the British government
estimated that as few as 140 or as many as 1,400 women
had been smuggled into the country and forced to work
as prostitutes.
Social workers say the problem has grown alongside
lurid Internet sites and flyers plastered on the walls
of phone booths fuelling a demand for unprotected and
risky sex that few women would willingly supply.
"There is definitely too much work to deal with," said
Anna Johansson of the London-based Poppy Project, which
helps women trying to leave prostitution. "We're
getting referrals from Birmingham, Sheffield,
Liverpool, from all across the country."
Many women contract chlamydia, syphilis and sometimes
HIV because they are forced to have unprotected sex.
They are often left with painful scars and some become
sterile. Most suffer from post-traumatic stress
disorder.
"Almost all those we work with have flashbacks and
nightmares and cannot sleep," said Johannson. "They can
be extremely frightened of strangers and find it hard
to go out alone."
She said one woman had approached the Poppy Project
after leaping to freedom from a second-storey window,
breaking bones in her foot.
Another's hopes were raised when a client promised to
help her and bought her from her captor, then locked
her away in an apartment and visited her at night twice
a week on the way home to his wife.
FROM SOHO TO SUBURBIA
Last month, three east European men were jailed for up
to 18 years under new British trafficking laws after
they lured a 15-year-old Lithuanian girl to Britain on
the promise of a summer job, then sold her for 4,000
pounds ($7,586).
Three months later she turned up barefoot at a northern
England police station after eluding her "owner" in a
nightclub.
But renewed efforts to stamp out the trade may be
pushing it further underground, from red-light
districts such as London's Soho to houses and
apartments in the suburbs, many of which are unknown to
the police.
"Women here are not advertised. Access is gained by
word of mouth," said Johansson. "That's quite dangerous
as the authorities are not that likely to come across
them."
Campaigners say anti-immigration policies could be
making things worse. Sending victims straight home
means they cannot testify against their owners in
court, and can expose them to more danger by landing
them back where they were kidnapped.
"You can't break the problem of trafficking by sending
people back to where they were trafficked from," said
Mary Cunneen, director of Anti-Slavery International.
Last year a woman helped put her captors behind bars
for nine years. Fearing reprisals if she returned to
her small village in Moldova, she applied for asylum in
Britain.
"She applied in February last year but there has still
been no response," said Johansson. "The chance of her
being re-trafficked is high, but this has not been
recognised." END TEXT.
¶10. (U) Reported by the Anadolu Ajansi on Monday, April 25:
TITLE: 29 Illegal Immigrants Captured Near Samos, One
Turk Arrested
BEGIN TEXT: AA reporting from Athens. The
Greek Coast Guard captured 29 illegal immigrants near
Samos island and detained a Turk for trafficking these
people.
The Greek Maritime Commerce Ministry noted that the
illegal immigrants were from Afghanistan and Iraq and
the Turk who brought them to the island and who tried
to flee was Mehmet Ulu (37).
Ulu will be sent to the prosecutor. END TEXT.
¶11. (U) Reported by the Anadolu Ajansi on Tuesday, April
26:
TITLE: Prostitution Operation in Istanbul
BEGIN TEXT: During an operation in some hotels, bars,
discothques and night clubs, 132 foreign women who
are allegedly involved in prostitution and four people
who were serving as mediator were captured
In an operation against some hotels, bars,
discothques and nigh clubs in various sub-provinces
of Istanbul in the past one week, 132 foreign women who
allegedly were involved in prostitution and four people
who were mediating for prostitution were captured.
According to information gathered by the AA
correspondent, Istanbul Foreigners Police and Public
c
Order Police Morals Department conducted operations in
the hotels, bars, discothques and nigh clubs in
Silivri, Bakirkoy, Beyoglu and Besiktas.
During these operations 132 foreign women from Russia,
the Ukraine, Moldavia and Kyrgyzstan who were
allegedly involved in prostitution were captured and
four Turks were detained for mediating for
prostitution.
While the women were sent to the Foreigners' Department
for necessary (paper) work for their deportation the
four (Turks) who were sent to the prosecutor were
arrested and put in jail. END TEXT.
¶12. (U) Published by CBC News Viewpoint on Wednesday,
April, 27:
TITLE: False Hope and Shattered Dreams
BEGIN TEXT: Lured by the promise of better prospects
and quality of life, thousands of Ukrainian women have
left their homes and families only to become victims
of human trafficking.
While they're often promised work as waitresses, in
stores, or as domestic workers, many young women are
forced into sexual exploitation, usually to pay off the
cost of their "migration." Stripped of their passports,
threatened and abused, these women become trapped.
According to the International Organization for
Migration (IOM), Ukraine is one of the main European
countries of origin for human trafficking for the
purpose of forced prostitution. Although the exact
number of victims is unclear, estimates indicate that
since Ukraine's independence in 1991, as many as 11
million Ukrainian citizens have crossed the border to
work abroad, usually irregularly. Thousands of these
people became victims of trafficking.
While men are also trafficked into forced labour
situations and make up about two-thirds of migrants,
women make up the overwhelming majority of those
returning as victims of trafficking.
IOM assisted nearly 1,800 trafficked people between
2000 and the end of 2004, including 625 people last
year alone. The number of people assisted increases
each year. IOM statistics show that 289 trafficking
cases were filed by the Anti-Trafficking Unit of the
Ministry of Internal Affairs in 2003 and 169 cases were
filed in 2002.
Also in 2002, Interpol Ukraine received 742 notices
from 30 countries concerning trafficking involving
Ukrainian victims.
With declining standards of living, low wages, and
generally few employment prospects in Ukraine, many
view work abroad as the best option available to them.
The thought of sending money home to their families
also gives them the extra push they need.
For women, the motivation to leave is even greater as
many are looking to flee situations at home involving
moral, verbal, sexual or physical assault. According to
the IOM assessment, the collapse of the social
infrastructure following the breakup of the Soviet
Union has created an extra burden for many Ukrainian
women, particularly in rural areas where they do all
housework with no electricity or running water.
Consequently, more women are pressured to seek
unskilled, low wage employment abroad such as waiting
on tables, housekeeping, personal care or dancing.
Although a few women know they are going abroad to be
prostitutes, many learn their fate upon arrival in the
destination country.
Victims are usually recruited through a combination of
acquaintances and intermediaries at nightclubs, student
gatherings, on public transportation, or at train
stations in regional city centres. Women - often mother
and daughter teams - are the primary recruiters in
Ukraine while men control recruitment abroad.
Trafficking victims also act as recruiters - either
forcibly or on their own upon their return to Ukraine,
knowing the profit that can be made.
So where do victims end up? IOM has assisted Ukrainian
trafficking victims from more than 40 countries
including South Korea, Nigeria and Yemen. But more than
two-thirds of IOM's caseload returned from Italy,
Greece, Poland, Macedonia, Russia and Turkey. Victims
of trafficking are also found in the United Arab
Emirates, Germany, Portugal, Spain, the former
Yugoslavia, Cyprus, Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Hungary,
the Czech Republic and Romania.
Counter-trafficking initiatives are high on the list of
priorities for many non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) in Ukraine. A great deal of effort is spent on
prevention - specifically through awareness campaigns -
and legislation has been made to combat trafficking.
Anti-trafficking hotlines have been set up and a
network of NGOs across Ukraine has been established to
co-ordinate victim assistance and prevention
initiatives.
Organizations such as the IOM, Revival of the Nation,
La Strada International Women's Rights Centre and
Faith, Love, Hope assist returning victims with
reintegration, travel assistance, accommodation, legal
assistance, medical care, counselling, and vocational
training.
On an international level, all embassies of the
Schengen countries (a bloc of 15 European nations) in
Kiev meet monthly to share information on the topic and
have created a blacklist of tourist agencies with whom
they will no longer co-operate because of the agencies'
involvement in trafficking. As a result, visas will not
be issued to individuals who use these agencies as
intermediaries.
However, prevention of trafficking is made difficult
for Ukrainian authorities and international
organizations because of the irregularity of the
migration process, even for successful migrants.
Many successful migrants get around work permit
regulations by travelling to the country of destination
independently as tourists and staying there, working
illegally. Successful migrants usually have a higher
education, contacts in the country of destination, and
money to pay for the travel abroad.
Many female victims, ashamed of what they did when
abroad, never tell their families or friends about
their experience because they are afraid to come
forward lest they be stigmatized. Others, many of whom
are men, are not aware they were victims of
trafficking.
All of this makes collecting information useful for
prevention and prosecuting traffickers a bigger
challenge than it already is, allowing the situation to
go on indefinitely. END TEXT.
¶13. (U) Published by Armenialiberty, www.armenialiberty.org
on Wednesday, April 27:
TITLE: Journalist Inquiry Implicates Armenian
Officials in Dubai Trafficking
BEGIN TEXT: The Armenian authorities have done little
to combat illegal trafficking of hundreds and possibly
thousands of Armenian women abroad for sexual
exploitation despite their persistent claims to the
contrary, according to the findings of a nearly year-
long journalistic investigation.
Edik Baghdasarian, a prominent investigative reporter,
and Ara Manoogian, an Armenian-American activist, have
suggested that senior law-enforcement officials in
Yerevan are maintaining close ties with Armenian
prostitution rings in the United Arab Emirates for
personal gain. They allege in particular that some of
those officials regularly visit Dubai to collect bribes
from the local Armenian pimps and women trafficked by
them.
"We have compelling evidence we collected there that
suggests individuals within the Armenian government and
in high-ranking positions are directly involved with
this ring," says Manoogian.
The two men have repeatedly visited the Gulf Arab
nation over the past year, interviewing scores of
Armenian prostitutes and secretly videotaping glitzy
night clubs where they usually find clients. Their
detailed accounts of the Dubai sex business were
presented in a series of reports that appeared recently
in the Hetq.am online publication of Baghdasarian's
Association of Investigative Journalists. Baghdasarian
has promised to make more scandalous revelations in a
separate documentary which is expected to be aired by
an Armenian TV channel next month.
The Hetq.am reports suggest that there could be as many
as 2,000 Armenian prostitutes working in the UAE and
other Gulf states at present. Virtually all of them are
said to have traveled there with fake Russian passports
provided by their traffickers in Moscow. UAE law
forbids foreign single women below the age of 31 from
entering the country. The documents overstating the
women's age thus allow prostitution ringleaders to
easily flout this restriction.
Baghdasarian and Manoogian claim that the UAE
authorities are well aware of that but turn a blind eye
because they too have a share in the business involving
tends of thousands of women from across the former
Soviet Union. "This is a well-organized business with a
rigid chain of command," says Baghdasarian.
Most of the trafficked women come from poor families
and were lured into prostitution with a promise of
quick money. "I couldn't find a job [in Armenia]," one
of them, a divorced woman from a village in southern
Armenia, is quoted as saying in a Hetq article.
"Wherever I went, they asked me to sleep with them
before they would offer me a job. We Armenians are like
that - if you're divorced, then that's it, they can
think anything about you."
The prostitutes reportedly have to give the Armenian
pimps in Dubai a large part of their income. According
to the authors of the inquiry, many of them are forced
to have sex 10 or even more clients a day in order to
secure the minimum daily sum required by their
"employers." They say that the Armenian pimps are in
turn subordinated to a Syrian-born Arab known as Assad.
He is said to have strong connections with officials at
the UAE's police and immigration departments.
Scores of Armenian women are also thought to have been
trafficked to other parts of the Middle East, notably
Turkey. The phenomenon dating back to the mid-1990s
came under public spotlight in 2002 when the U.S. State
Department placed Armenia in the so-called "Tier3"
group of states which Washington believes are doing
little to tackle illegal cross-border transport of
human beings.
The embarrassing criticism led the Armenian authorities
to take what the State Department later described as
"significant efforts" to reduce the scale of human
trafficking. They set up a special inter-ministerial
commission tasked with tackling the problem. It also
began to be publicly discussed by government officials
and non-governmental organizations.
Armenia was removed from the U.S. blacklist and
upgraded to the "Tier 2" category in 2003. "The
Government of Armenia does not fully comply with the
minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
however, it is making significant efforts to do so,"
the State Department said in a report last year.
Baghdasarian disagrees. "The prosecutors say they are
combating the problem, but I don't see any action," he
says.
Armenia's Office Prosecutor-General rarely launch
criminal investigations into suspected instances of
human trafficking. Only two such cases were reported
last year. Although Armenia's new Criminal Code enacted
in 2003 raised the maximum jail term for trafficking
from two to eight years, court rulings against
individuals convicted of related charges have remained
lenient.
One such person, Amalia "Nano" Mnatsakanian, was
arrested in the UAE on an Interpol warrant and
extradited to Armenia in March 2004. She was sentenced
to two years' imprisonment by a Yerevan court last
August only to be released less than two months later.
Another reputed pimp, Marietta Musaelian, is expected
to released soon, well before completing her two-year
sentence.
Baghdasarian says most of their "colleagues" remain at
large and have little to worry about. As recently as
last February he sent a young female journalist posing
as a prospective prostitute to two women known to be
involved in a Dubai prostitution ring. Their
conversation in a Yerevan apartment was secretly
recorded.
"I've sent more than a hundred people to the Emirates,"
one of the women called Sirush told the undercover
journalist. "They were from 16 to 27. I don't take
anyone older."
"It'll cost me $3,000-$4,000 to get you to Dubai.
You'll be met in Moscow and they'll get you a new
passport. After that you'll go to Dubai," she added.
"If you go there, you won't want to come back," said
the other pimp, Nelli.
Andranik Mirzoyan, head of the investigations
department at the Prosecutor-General's Office, claimed
on March 16 that most traffickers remain unpunished
because they enjoy government protection in the UAE.
"There [in Dubai] a pimp is protected by the police and
by the 'authorities' [criminal gangs]. They have their
own laws, and there are some problems," he complained
after a meeting of senior prosecutors that discussed
the problem.
Mirzoyan also told reporters that a team of Armenian
investigators traveled to Dubai in February to try to
"persuade" Armenian prostitutes to return home. But
Baghdasarian insists that the officials' actions were
less than altruistic.
"We have recordings of girls in Dubai saying that they
gave thousands of dollars to a particular employee of
the prosecutor's office. We know their names, where and
when they met." he says, adding that such visits from
Yerevan have been regular.
Citing unnamed Dubai prostitutes, Baghdasarian wrote
last month that one of those officials, Aristakes
Yeremian, cut a deal with at least one Armenian pimp.
The Prosecutor-General's Office has still not reacted
to the allegation.
But Yeremian, who is a senior investigator at the law-
enforcement agency, rejected the charges on Wednesday.
"Such a thing is impossible," he told RFE/RL. Yeremian
admitted meeting several Armenian pimps in Dubai "for
questioning" but denied extorting any money from them
through blackmail and arrest threats.
Visiting Yerevan last July, Russian Interior Minister
Rashid Nurgaliev announced the arrest a "criminal
group" of Armenians in Moscow who allegedly transported
young women from Armenia to the UAE via Russia. The
suspects were immediately extradited to the Armenian
authorities to face prosecution, he said.
"They were flown to Yerevan and set free a month
later," says Baghdasarian. "I asked one law-enforcement
official why they were released. He said they probably
paid a lot of money."
That there is lots of money involved is obvious from
figures provided to Hetq by the Armenian Central Bank.
They show that the total amount of cash remittances
wired to Armenia from the UAE totaled almost $8.8
million last year, up from just $1.6 million registered
in 2001. With Armenian imports from the UAE by far
exceeding exports in 2004, a large part of that money
may well have been generated by the prostitution
networks.
Manoogian, who runs a charity and small businesses in
Nagorno-Karabakh, believes that many of the trafficking
victims can be repatriated and reintegrated into
Armenian society. He is currently lobbying
international and Diaspora organizations to finance a
special rehabilitation center for them. "Right now we
are in the process of putting together a rehabilitation
program," he says.
But Baghdasarian is skeptical about the effort: "Ninety
percent of those women knew what awaits them in Dubai
and are earning much more than they could do here."
END TEXT.
¶14. (U) Published by Anadolu Ajansi, Friday, April 29:
TITLE: SECURITY FORCES INTERCEPT 25 ILLEGAL MIGRANTS
IN ISTANBUL
BEGIN TEXT: ISTANBUL (A.A) - 29.04.2005 - Turkish
security forces intercepted 25 migrants in Istanbul
who had entered Turkey illegally, sources told the A.A
on Friday.
The migrants of Pakistani origin who did not have
passports and ID cards, will be deported once the legal
proceedings are completed.
Meanwhile, 2 Iraqi and 3 Pakistani were detained for
human trafficking. END TEXT.
EDELMAN