UZBEKISTAN: LEADING ACTIVIST CRITICIZED BY EXILES

C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 001189

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN AND DRL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/16/2018
TAGS: PHUM KWMN PGOV PREL UZ
SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN: LEADING ACTIVIST CRITICIZED BY EXILES
FOR FAVORING ENGAGEMENT

REF: A. TASHKENT 767

B. TASHKENT 1138

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


1. (C) Summary: On October 10, poloff met at the Embassy with
human rights activist Mutabar Tojiboyeva, who told poloff
that she favored engagement with the Uzbek government and was
personally against sanctions, which she believed would cutoff
dialogue with the government. However, she reported being
pressured by Uzbek exiles in Europe and the United States to
take a harder line against the Uzbek government and to join
the Birlik opposition party. Tojiboyeva's statements confirm
what we have long suspected: Uzbek exiles in Europe and the
United States are pressuring local activists in Uzbekistan to
take a harder line against the government, even if doing so
would potentially put those local activists in greater
danger. End summary.

ACTIVIST REPORTS FEELING PRESSURED BY UZBEK EXILES
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2. (C) Tojiboyeva complained to poloff about being pressured
by Uzbek exiles in Europe and the United States to take a
harder line against the Uzbek government and to join an
opposition party. She told poloff that she was personally
against sanctions, believing it would cutoff dialogue between
the West, local human rights activists, and the Uzbek
government, which she believed offered the best chance of
promoting human rights reform in the country. She reported
being heavily criticized for her views by exiled activists
and journalists, who have accused her of acting "like a
celebrity" since her release from prison. Tojiboyeva added
that she was afraid to voice her views while in Europe (see
para 7),believing that she would be attacked again by the
exiles.


3. (C) Tojiboyeva noted that the exiles in Europe and the
United States were far removed from the realities on the
ground in Uzbekistan. She believed many of them supported
sanctions and a harder line against the Uzbek government
because they believed it would weaken the Karimov regime. In
contrast, Tojiboyeva noted that her goal was to promote human
rights reform in Uzbekistan with the government as a partner.
She also noted that activists still in Uzbekistan would
likely face greater harassment if the West enacted further
sanctions against Uzbekistan.


4. (C) Since her release from prison, Tojiboyeva has not
shied away from criticism of the government in interviews
with independent journalists, particularly over prison
conditions (ref A).

BIRLIK LEADER DEMANDS TOJIBOYEVA JOIN OPPOSITION PARTY
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5. (C) Tojiboyeva appeared especially annoyed by demands
from Birlik opposition party leader Abdurakhmon Pulatov, who
is based in Washington, that she join Birlik. Tojiboyeva
said that Pulatov started calling her shortly after her
release from prison. In their conversations, she reported
that Pulatov frequently demeaned the work of human rights
activists in Uzbekistan, describing them as people "who set
fires," while claiming that opposition party members were
those "who put out fires." Tojiboyeva reported that she was
afraid of being used "as a prop" by Birlik if she joined the
party. She also believed that becoming an opposition
activist would make it impossible for her to engage in any
type of dialogue with authorities. In contrast, she said her
goal now was to try to convince local authorities in Margilan
to re-register her former human rights group, the Fiery
Hearts Club (Note: The club was disbanded after her arrest.

End note.)


6. (C) Other Uzbek human rights activist who recently
participated in an International Visitors program in the
United States also complained about being contacted and
pressured by Pulatov. They reported that Pulatov attempted
to have them sign off on a press statement declaring that the
main goal of Uzbek human rights activists was to register the
Birlik party, which they refused to do.

TOJIBOYEVA RECEIVES VISA, PREPARES FOR EUROPEAN TOUR
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7. (C) Tojiboyeva was released from prison on medical grounds
in June and was recently granted an exit visa by Uzbek
authorities to seek medical treatment abroad (ref B). She
reported receiving a Schengen visa from the French Embassy on
October 9, which will allow her to travel to Germany in
mid-October, where she will be medically examined at a
private clinic near Frankfurt. She will be accompanied by
another activist, Marina Pikolina. According to Tojiboyeva,
the French government will fund their transportation to
Europe, while the German government will pay for her medical
examination. After her medical evaluation, Tojiboyeva plans
to travel to Ireland for a month for any necessary follow-up
medical treatment, which will be paid for by the Front Line
international human rights organization. In November, she
then plans to go to Switzerland to receive the 2008 Martin
Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, for which she was
selected in May by a committee representing ten of the
world's leading human rights organizations, including Amnesty
International, Human Rights Watch, and Front Line. She also
planned to participate in an international 1,000 Women of
Peace conference while in Switzerland.


8. (C) Tojiboyeva thanked the Embassy again for advocating
on her behalf, which along with efforts by EU Embassies, she
credited with her release and the government's decision to
grant her an exit visa.


9. (C) Tojiboyeva's health condition appeared to be stable.
She noted that her stomach continued to bother her, which she
partly attributed to stress. Authorities had previously
granted Tojiboyeva permission to travel from Margilan to
Tashkent to undergo medical tests, which were unable to
diagnosis her illness.

COMMENT
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10. (C) Tojiboyeva continues to stand tall as one of the
most principled and determined human rights activists in
Uzbekistan. Her statements confirm what we have long
suspected: Uzbek exiles in Europe and the United States are
pressuring activists in Uzbekistan to take a harder line
against government, even if doing so would potentially put
local activists in greater danger. As Tojiboyeva herself
noted, many of the exiles are far removed from the realities
on the ground in Uzbekistan - and unlike activists still in
Uzbekistan - they have little to lose from a break in
dialogue between the government and the West. Many of the
exiles, especially those associated with opposition parties,
appear less interested in promoting human rights in
Uzbekistan than in promoting their own interests and
weakening the Karimov regime. We do not want to confuse our
own human rights agenda in Uzbekistan with the agenda of
these Uzbek exiles.
NORLAND