Air Piracy in the Republic of Kazakhstan

To the US Congress, an official address. A film crew of the TV company was officially invited by Kazakhstan's Asia-Tourism tourism company for contractual works in the framework of the Khan-Tengri - 2003 international mountain festival held on July 16 v August 2, 2003. On August 2, on the day of an official completion of the expedition works, the tourism company failed to take people away from the lake that is situated on the junction of the glaciers Northern and Southern Enylchek, on the border of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. It was impossible to take people away because of bad weather. However, this may sound strange but no helicopters arrived to the place next day or within several next days although the weather was good for flights

OFFICIAL DECLARATION BY IPV NEWS USA

Re: Air Piracy in the Republic of Kazakhstan

We, International Photo & Video News, Incorporated (IPV News USA), a nonprofit TV corporation of the United States of America would like to express our profound respect for the United States Congress and hereby advise the following:

Our companys shooting group was officially invited by the Kazakh Partner (Asia-Tourism" travel agency) to perform contract work during the International Mountain Festival Khan-Tengri -- 2003" from July 16, 2003 to August 2, 2003.

On August 1, 2003, as per the last article of the contract, the whole group was conveyed by the Kazakh Presidential Administrations helicopter, board No. UN 22957 to the glacial lake Mertsbakher, one of the most out-of-the-way places in the world, for a period of 24 hours.

On August 2, 2003, the official completion date of the expeditionary work, owing to poor weather conditions, Asia-Tourism" could not pick up the group from the lake Mertsbakher located at the junction of the Northern and Southern Enilchek glaciers, on the border between Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.

However, the helicopter failed to arrive on 3 August and a few succeeding days, in spite of set fair flying weather. Asia-Tourisms statements on the zero-zero weather have no reasonable grounds. These statements are disproved by the fact that on 3 August the same helicopter made intense flights between their mountaineering camps and conveyed sportsmen and guests to the Mountain Festivals closing ceremony from a mountaineering camp to the settlement of Akkol. This mountaineering camp was as far as 22 kilometers away from the left and forgotten shooting group.

Having awaited till 5 August, the group head decided to lead the people out of the base camp along the glacier. The reasons for that were approaching winter season (the locations altitude exceeds 3,500 meters above sea level) and catastrophic shortage of provisions. Over several days the group of nine, including a 14-year girl, a US Citizen, lacking fuel, was unable to have hot meals. While leading the group along the Northern Enilchek glacier to Asia-Tourisms camp under peak Khan-Tengri, at an altitude of 4,000 meters, we made continuous TV shooting with one of our cameras. The film recorded not only weather conditions, but also every step of the people forgotten on the glacier.

During these days Asia-Tourism" has celebrated the closing of the aforementioned festival, and all its management was obviously downright drunk. This is confirmed by the death of Poland citizen Yanosh Prokhozhko who, being absolutely drunk, has fallen by night into a crack just in the center of the base camp, got injuries incompatible with life, and found dead in the morning. His body was removed from the camp exactly on 3 August by said helicopters third flight. This information is already approved by independent web sources (http://www.vvv.ru direct satellite broadcasting by IPV News USA of the special online program Beginners-VVV in the Central Tyan-Shan" by order of the Asia-Tourism" agency).

At the very beginning of its way, the group of IPV News USA sent the two strongest team members to the base camp of Asia-Tourism" to inform of its distress. However, they reached the base camp under peak Khan-Tengri as late as 7 August.

On 6 August, some of Asia-Tourisms commanders who were getting into sober condition remembered the travelers left in distress and sent the helicopter to their camp. The group members saw the helicopter while walking along glacier. They made every effort to supply international SOS signals to the crew, but no one in the helicopter noticed them despite the fact that was passing just 50-70 meters above the groups heads. This testifies that nobody was looking for the group specifically. Once the helicopter landed near the groups camp where they left all the shooting equipment and outfit, then took off and disappeared towards Asia-Tourisms base camp on the Southern Enilchek glacier. The helicopters crew of the state rescue service did not consider it necessary to start search for the missing group. Moreover, the management of Asia-Tourism" raised no alarm and failed to start searching for the people up to 7 August when the two members of IPV News USA group reached their camp.

Having seen the attitude demonstrated by the contractors officials, these two people used their satellite phone to appeal for assistance directly to the US Embassy in Kazakhstan. Only after that Asia-Tourism" sent a few rescuers towards the American shooting group members who had got into trouble, and they met the group within several hours way from the camp.        

Later the following actions have been undertaken by the Kazakh agency Asia-Tourism" in respect of the people in trouble.

On 9 August the mountaineer Mr. Nikolay Chervonenko, calling himself Chief Manager-Representative, and Asia-Tourisms director Ms. Tatyana Chepel have arrived to the base camp on the Northern Enilchek glacier by a special helicopter flight.

They have presented to the head of the IPV News USA group an unsigned invoice for over USD25,000. In addition, they claimed that the whole group would be forced to stay on the glacier until the invoice is paid in full.

This announcement made the group members to use Asia-Tourisms portable radio transmitter (the chief of the broadcasting station in the Akkol settlement is radio fan Mr. Vladimir Chepel, Tatyanas father) to forward an official statement to the Consuls General of their countries (USA, Russia, Uzbekistan) regarding the violent detention on the glacier.

Thereafter Mr. Chervonenko and Ms. Chepel declared that no member of the American TV corporations group was detained, and the only thing they were required to do was to pay an amount of USD 6,000 for a special helicopters flight. The group head immediately agreed to pay said amount and ordered a helicopter from Almaty. However, the helicopter arrived at the base camp only on 12 August as per its usual schedule. Five of the group were conveyed by the helicopter to its left tent on the lake Mertsbakher, and upon loading all the equipment on board it unexpectedly flied not towards Northern camp, but to Asia-Tourisms base camp in Akkol, which is deeply in Kazakhstan.

Three citizens of Russia, one of Uzbekistan and one of the USA, lacking their passports and visas, were illicitly and forcedly conveyed by a Kazakh state aircraft to the territory of Kazakhstan, inland of its frontier zone. Furthermore, Asia-Tourism" has forcedly seized all the equipment as a collateral.

The chief of the frontier post at Akkol entered the helicopter, and the head of the IPV News USA group gave him the list of people on board accompanied with an oral announcement that they were forcedly conveyed to Kazakhstan without any IDs.

Upon seizure of the shooting equipment (total worth USD28,000; even a shooting tripod was seized), the helicopter of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, aviated by his personal chief pilot Mr. Petr Shkurat, flied to the Northern camp and picked up the rest of the group, and then conveyed all the group to the frontier post Maida-Adir in Kyrgyzstan.

The American corporation International Photo & Video News, Incorporated hereby appeals to the United States Congress Committee for special hearings to investigate the actions made by the Kazakh party which committed an act of air piracy on its territory in respect of US citizens and those of other countries as well as robbery of the American non-profit corporation.

We are ready to submit any required documents available.

In conclusion, IPV News USA would like to express once again its greatest respect for the United States Congress.