UNDP: REPORTS OF HARASSMENT OF AFGHAN REFUGEES

C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 000965

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN, DRL, AND PRM

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/16/2017
TAGS: PREF PHUM PREL AF UZ
SUBJECT: UNDP: REPORTS OF HARASSMENT OF AFGHAN REFUGEES
CEASE

REF: TASHKENT 459

Classified By: CDA Brad Hanson for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: UN Development Program (UNDP) Resident
Representative told Charge on May 8 that the Government has
ceased harassment of Afghan refugees. Several cases of
harassment had been reported, particularly in the first part
of this year. In March, the Foreign Ministry notified UNDP
that mandate refugee certificates do not provide a legal
basis for long-term residence, and that refugees must apply
for visas (ref A). In response, the UNDP requested Uzbek
visas for the remaining refugees and requested that the
Government waive the associated application and monthly
registration fees. Reports of harassment ended shortly
thereafter. The change in attitude may be related to the
fact that most remaining refugees are now being processed for
resettlement. End summary.


2. (C) UN Development Program (UNDP) Resident Representative
Fikret Akcura told Charge on May 8 that Uzbek police have
stopped harassing Afghan refugees. He cited the fact that
UNDP has received no recent reports of refugees being stopped
for document checks or detained. On March 6, the Foreign
Ministry notified UNDP that refugees must obtain Uzbek visas,
as UN-issued refugee certificates did not provide a legal
basis for long-term residence in Uzbekistan (ref A). UNDP,
in turn, replied that it would assist Afghan refugees in
applying for Uzbek visas, if the GOU waived the associated
application fees and monthly registration fees. According to
Akcura, while the Government has not formally replied,
reported harassment of refugees ceased shortly after UNDP's
request.


3. (C) Since January, there have been several reports of
Afghan refugees being harassed by police, especially in the
southern border town of Termez. In at least a dozen
instances, police detained refugees, checked them for
residence documents, and tore up their refugee certificates,
saying that they were meaningless. In all such cases,
according to Akcura, police released the refugees with a
warning that they must apply for a visa. In four cases,
refugees were repatriated to Afghanistan, though two of them
later returned to Uzbekistan (reftel).


4. (C) Akcura speculated that the GOU ceased its harassment
of refugees because most of those remaining are now being
processed for resettlement in the United States and Canada.
(Note: Approximately 1,400 refugees remain in Uzbekistan,
mostly from Afghanistan. The Embassy is assisting in
processing approximately 700 cases, 191 of which have been
accepted. End note.) Akcura earlier suggested that the
Government's decision to require visas for the refugees might
have been motivated by its desire to raise funds, as the
total cost of visa applications and monthly registration fees
could have exceeded $500,000 per year.


5. (C) Comment: The exact motive behind the Government's
apparent change in policy towards Afghan refugees is unclear.
It is quite possible, however, that the earlier harassment
and the Government's ultimatum to UNDP were part of an effort
to speed the resettlement process.
HANSON