ACTIVISTS ATTEND HUMAN RIGHTS DAY ROUNDTABLE; DO

C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 002131

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN AND DRL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/17/2017
TAGS: PHUM PGOV UZ
SUBJECT: ACTIVISTS ATTEND HUMAN RIGHTS DAY ROUNDTABLE; DO
NOT SUPPORT SANCTIONS

REF: A. TASHKENT 451

B. TASHKENT 2084

C. TASHKENT 2083

D. TASHKENT 2112

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


1. (C) Summary: In commemoration of Human Rights Day on
December 10, the Embassy held a roundtable for prominent
Uzbek human rights activists at the Embassy and an evening
reception with diplomatic, government, and human rights
contacts at the Ambassador's residence (septel). Issues
discussed at the roundtable included the Government's recent
amnesty resolution, torture, and religious extremism. In
marked contrast to previous human rights events hosted by the
Embassy, there were few reports of authorities preventing
human rights activists from attending either event. At the
roundtable, human rights activists assessed that enhanced
dialogue with the Government, rather than the implementation
of sanctions, would be the most effective way to advance
human rights in Uzbekistan. End summary.


2. (C) In the afternoon of December 10, the Embassy hosted a
Human Rights Day roundtable chaired by the Ambassador and the
DCM and attended by four prominent human rights activists:
Ferghana-based Rapid Reaction Group (RRG) member Abdusalom
Ergashev, Tashkent-based Human Rights Alliance (HRA) member
Elena Urlayeva, Jizzakh-based Human Rights Society of
Uzbekistan (HRSU) member Bakhtiyor Hamroev, and
Tashkent-based Independent Initiative Group of Human Rights
Activist (IIGHRA) Deputy Chairman Ulugbek Usmanov.

NO REPORTS THAT ACTIVISTS PREVENTED FROM ATTENDING...
-------------- --------------


3. (C) The Embassy also had invited two additional activists
to the roundtable, but Mothers Against the Death Penalty and
Torture Chairperson Tamara Chikunova was ill and Ezgulik
leader Vasila Inoyatova was delayed in court, where she is
defending several individuals accused of religious extremism.
None of the attendees reported being pressured by
authorities not to attend the event. This contrasted
favorably, they noted, with the GOU's use of threats, house
arrest, and beatings in March to prevent several human rights
activists from attending the Embassy's reception to launch
the 2006 Human Rights Report (ref A).

...BUT HAMROEV FOLLOWED TO EVENT
--------------


4. (C) Hamroev reported being followed by two cars on his
way from Jizzakh to Tashkent, but he experienced no direct
harassment. His home has reportedly been under 24-hour
surveillance since his son Ikhtiyor, currently imprisoned on
politically-motivated charges of hooliganism, allegedly
stabbed himself with scissors after being beaten by prison
guards on November 30 (ref B).

AMBASSADOR'S OPENING REMARKS
--------------


5. (C) The Ambassador began the roundtable by noting the
great personal risks human rights activists around the world
take in reporting abuses and advocating for positive change.
He emphasized that the United States would continue to
support human rights activists who work to safeguard human
dignity and overcome oppression and injustice. The
Ambassador also lamented some recent negative developments,
including the conviction of Ezgulik activist Karim Bozorboev
on politically-motivated charges (ref C),the continued
mistreatment of Hamroev's son, and the recent deaths of three

inmates in Andijon (ref B). The Ambassador stressed the
importance of engaging the Uzbek Government on human rights
issues and taking advantage of the current opening in
relations to seek cooperation on tangible progress in this
area.

ACTIVISTS DISCUSS RECENT EFFORTS
--------------


6. (C) After the Ambassador's opening remarks, each of the
participants elaborated on their recent activities. Ergashev
described the RRG's presentation of its alternative report to
the United Nations Committee Against Torture (CAT) in Geneva
in early November, where its recommendations were reportedly
well-received. He also talked of his organization's recent
efforts on child labor and migrant rights. Urlayeva
explained how the HRA has frequently organized protests
criticizing the elections and calling for the release of
political prisoners. In contrast to previous attempts this
year, Urlayeva noted that the Government did not intervene
when HRA held a picket in front of the General Prosecutor's
Office on December 8. Usmanov described the IIGHRA's
monitoring of trials of alleged religious extremism, noting
that his organization has monitored more than 80 such trials
in the past five years.

ATTENDEES DOUBTFUL POLITICAL PRISONERS WILL BE AMNESTIED
-------------- --------------


7. (C) The activists also discussed with the Ambassador the
Government's recent adoption of its annual amnesty
resolution. State-controlled media reported that the
resolution would apply to women, foreigners, juveniles, and
those over 60 years of age. The activists were doubtful that
political prisoners would be released, noting that prison
officials frequently contrive for political prisoners to be
charged with infractions of prison regulations to make them
ineligible for amnesty. Hamroev said that he was personally
against the annual amnesty because he believed that only
ordinary criminals were released each year. For his part,
the Ambassador noted that the release of any political
prisoners would be a strong signal that the Government was
serious about engaging on human rights, and we would stress
this point with GOU officials. In the past few weeks, each
of the major human rights groups, including Ezgulik and HRSU,
has issued press releases calling for the amnesty of many
prominent political prisoners. The Ambassador noted we would
also be pressing for a decree against torture, return of
international human rights NGOs, and International Committee
of the Red Cross (ICRC) access to prisons (something the
participants expressed vigorous approval for.)

ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSES TORTURE
--------------


8. (C) Usmanov told the group that most reported incidents
of torture occurred during pre-trial detention as law
enforcement officials attempt to elicit confessions from
defendants. He also described how his own son was tortured
into confessing an alleged crime and was later sentenced to
10 years' imprisonment. Both Urlayeva and Ergashev believed
that the Government already had adequate legislation to
protect against torture, but the laws were not being
implemented. Ergashev also blamed low levels of education
among law enforcement officials for their abusive behavior,
noting that many officers purchase their diplomas.


DIFFERENT VIEWS EXPRESSED ON RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM
-------------- ---


9. (C) The roundtable also touched upon religious extremism
in Uzbekistan. Hamroev flatly denied that religious
extremism existed in Uzbekistan, arguing that any evidence of
extremism was fabricated by the Government. Ergashev, in
contrast, admitted that extremism existed, but argued that
the Government created it by clamping down too hard on
religious moderates over the years. He said that he had
investigated more than 1,000 cases in the Ferghana Valley of
youth tried for religious extremism. In the majority of
cases, he found that the defendants had attended only one or
two Koranic study sessions with Hizb ut-Tahrir members and
were not actual members of the group. Ergashev previously
expressed his view to poloff that many innocent individuals
sentenced for extremism later joined banned groups after
being imprisoned with actual extremists.

HAMROEV'S CRITICISM PROVIDES OPPORTUNITY FOR AMBASSADOR TO
EXPLAIN U.S. POSITION ON HUMAN RIGHTS
-------------- --------------


10. (C) Hamroev was more critical of U.S. human rights
policy than the other activists, accusing the U.S. government
of placing "geopolitical" concerns ahead of human rights in
Uzbekistan. (Comment: We believe that Hamroev was the source
of a press release by HRSU leader Talib Yukobov, later picked
up in an article on Eurasianet.org, criticizing poloff by
name for neglecting to meet with human rights activists
during a one-day visit to Jizzakh province in October. After
the roundtable, poloff reemphasized to Hamroev his open-door
policy and offered to facilitate the travel of human rights
activists from the regions to Tashkent when necessary. End
comment.) The Ambassador politely disagreed with Hamroev,
denying that geopolitical considerations trumped human rights
concerns and emphasizing that the United States was using the
mutual desire for better relations to seek concrete steps
from the Government on human rights. The Ambassador the
potential value of continued dialogue with the Government on
human rights, noting a televised speech given by President
Karimov on December 7 expressing Uzbekistan's desire to
maintain mutually beneficial relations with the West as a
sign that the Government was potentially warming up to
further dialogue on human rights.

HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS DON'T SUPPORT SANCTIONS
-------------- -


12. (C) When the Ambassador raised the possibility of the
U.S. Congress implementing sanctions against Uzbekistan for
its human rights record and refusing to allow an independent
investigation of the 2005 Andijon events, the roundtable
participants agreed that implementing sanctions against
Uzbekistan would not be the best way to advance human rights
at the present time. Instead, they believed that enhanced
dialogue with the Government would in fact offer the best
hope for stopping torture and improving human rights. Even
Hamroev, who at first raised the idea of South African-style
sanctions, ultimately concluded that Uzbekistan was not
apartheid South Africa and that a cut-off in dialogue with
the U.S. would only rebound badly on human rights activists.
Hamroev acknowledged the sad reality that Karimov would be
overwhelmingly re-elected and agreed with others that the
best hope for progress lay in trying to foster concrete
progress through intensified dialogue with the GOU.

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


13. (C) Perhaps in an attempt to alleviate international
criticism of the December 23 presidential election, the
government appears to be applying less pressure than usual on
human rights activists in recent weeks. In addition to

allowing several prominent activists to attend the Human
Rights Day roundtable, the government allowed the Human
Rights Alliance to hold a public protest in front of the
General Prosecutor's Office and a press conference on the
election (ref D). A greater number of government officials
than usual also attended an evening reception in honor of
Human Rights Day (septel). Furthermore, it is clear from the
roundtable that many human rights activists do not support
the implementation of sanctions by the U.S. government on
Uzbekistan at this time, but instead see greater value in
using renewed dialogue with the Government to press for
tangible progress.
NORLAND