HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 002112

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN AND DRL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/12/2017
TAGS: PHUM PGOV UZ
SUBJECT: HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE ON
ELECTION

REF: TASHKENT 1751

Classified By: POLOFF R. FITZMAURICE FOR REASONS 1.4 (B, D)


1. (C) Summary: On December 12, poloff attended a press
conference on the election organized by the Human Rights
Alliance. Unlike the Alliance's last press conference on the
election in October (reftel),the event was only briefly
interrupted by a single provocateur. The lack of a serious
disturbance this time around might have been due to the
presence of OSCE election monitors and a desire to make the
election look more democratic. Human rights activists who
attended events at the Embassy and EMR on Human Rights Day
(December 10) also reported a relative decline in government
efforts to interfere in such participation. End summary.

HUMAN RIGHTS ALLIANCE HOLDS SECOND PRESS CONFERENCE ON
ELECTION
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2. (C) On December 12, poloff attended another press
conference on the election organized by the Human Rights
Alliance. Three of the five Alliance activists running as
self-proclaimed candidates for president initially spoke at
the event. Once again, they criticized President Karimov's
political and economic policies, as well as onerous
presidential candidate registration requirements stipulating
that individuals must collect approximately 700,000
signatures to be added to the ballot. Alliance member Ahtam
Shaymardanov added that he had met with representatives of
the Central Election Committee (CEC),who refused to show him
signatures collected by the official four candidates running
for president. Shaymardanov estimated that several tons of
paper would be required for all the signatures and noted that
the CEC, which officially resides within Parliament, does not
have the adequate office space or staff to verify the
signatures within a seven-day period, as stipulated by Uzbek
law (according to Shaymardanov). Alliance member Abdillo
Tojiboy also criticized the Supreme Court for failing to
respond to letters submitted by the Alliance calling into
question President Karimov's legal right to stand for a third
term.

OSCE ELECTION MONITORS ATTEND
--------------


3. (C) The event was lightly attended by diplomats from the
French and Latvian Embassies, a few journalists from
independent websites, and two members of the OSCE's electoral
monitoring mission. Poloff had earlier informed OSCE monitor
Mats Lindberg about the event and suggested that some of
OSCE's monitors attend. Upon Lindberg's request, poloff also
provided him with a list of human rights activists and
political opposition figures that the OSCE team could
contact.

CANDIDATE SHOSALIMOV MAKES EVENT THIS TIME, ALBEIT BRIEFLY
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4. (C) Jakhongir Shosalimov, a fourth "presidential
candidate" from the Alliance who was reportedly detained by
police and prevented from attending the last press conference
in October, made a short appearance midway through the event.
Shortly after he spoke, his wife, who has criticized his
candidacy and interrupted Alliance events before, appeared
outside and began banging on the venue's doors for a minute
or two until Jakhongir went outside to talk to her.
(Comment: The brief "disturbance" was half-hearted at best,
and Poloff could not help but wonder whether this little bit
of political theatre might have been arranged by the Alliance
itself for the benefit of the diplomats and OSCE observers in
attendance. End comment.)


PRESS CONFERENCE CLOSELY MONITORED
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5. (C) According to the Embassy's driver, who was waiting
outside, the press conference was watched closely by nine
individuals, presumably National Security Service (NSS)
officers. Five of them were standing in the street and
another four were sitting in a car nearby. Several of them
had video cameras and were carefully videotaping anyone
entering the building. Poloff himself did not notice the men
when entering or leaving the office.

COMMENT
--------------


6. (C) The lack of a serious disturbance at the Human Rights
Alliance's press conference this time around is a potentially
positive development, though authorities may have wished to
avoid staging a major provocation in front of OSCE monitors.
In the run-up to December 23, the government may be trying to
put forward a more positive image to minimize outside
criticism of the electoral process. This was reflected in
what human right activists told us was a relative decline in
efforts by the authorities to interfere with their
participation in Embassy Human Rights Day events (septel).
NORLAND