AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH FREED SON OF HUMAN RIGHTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 000281 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN AND DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/04/2018 TAGS: PHUM PGOV PINR PREL UZ SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH FREED SON OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER IN JIZZAKH, UZBEKISTAN REF: A. TASHKENT 152 ¶B. TASHKENT 254 ¶C. TASHKENT 127 Classified By: POLOFF R. FITZMAURICE FOR REASONS 1.4 (B, D) ¶1. (C) Summary: As part of a one-day visit to Jizzakh province on February 29, the Ambassador met with human rights activist Bakhtiyor Hamroev and his son Ikhtiyor, who was amnestied and released from prison on February 2 (ref A). Ikhtiyor told the Ambassador that his release was the result of the recent improvement in relations between the government and the West. Despite the presence of the Jizzakh province Deputy Hokim at the meeting, Hamroev pulled no punches and took advantage of the situation to press the Deputy Hokim on pursuing dialogue with human rights activists. Bakhtiyor Hamroev also observed that imposing sanctions against Uzbekistan would be ineffective, instead arguing for greater engagement between the United States and the Uzbeks on human rights issues. Also in attendance was human rights activist Saida Kurbanova, who was reportedly harassed by local authorities after helping to organize protests over poor supplies of electricity and gas in her district this winter. Earlier, Hamroev reported to poloff having met with Margarita Karimova, President Karimov's sister-in-law and the mother of journalist Jamshid Karimov, who remains detained at a psychiatric hospital. According to Hamroev, Margarita Karimova was informed that doctors would meet again in late April to review Jamshid's detention, and she was optimistic that he would be released. During the one-day trip, the Ambassador also met with the acting provincial Hokim (governor),toured a battery production plant operated by U.S.-Uzbek joint venture, had lunch with alumni of US government exchange programs, and visited a museum dedicated to the Uzbek poet Hamid Alimjan (septel). End summary. HAMROEV THANKS AMBASSADOR FOR SON IKHTIYOR'S RELEASE -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) As part of a one-day visit to Jizzakh province on February 29, the Ambassador met with human rights activist Bakhtiyor Hamroev and his son Ikhtiyor, who was amnestied and released from prison on February 2 (ref A). Ikhtiyor told the Ambassador that his release was the result of the recent increase in dialogue between the government and the West. Both Ikhtiyor and Bakhtiyor Hamroev also thanked the Ambassador for his assistance in raising the plight of political prisoners with the government. ¶3. (C) Ikhtiyor appeared to be in good health, although he also complained that his health had suffered during his one and half years in prison (Note: Ikhtiyor was sentenced to three years' imprisonment on politically-motivated charges of hooliganism in September 2006 and was reportedly beaten by prison guards on several occasions in 2006 and 2007. End note.) Ikhtiyor noted that as a result of poor nutrition at the prison, he lost four teeth and has developed digestion problems. Since his release, he has received unspecified medical assistance (Note: On February 14, poloff submitted a Global Human Rights Defender Fund application on Ikhtiyor's behalf to help pay for his medical treatment. End note.) HAMROEV OPPOSES SANCTIONS, SUPPORTS INCREASED DIALOGUE -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) Bakthiyor Hamroev said that he opposed sanctions for Uzbekistan, which he believed would be ineQective. Although Hamroev has favored sanctions in the past, he directly attributed recent progress on the human rights front, including the release of his son and other human rights activists, to increased efforts by the United States and the European Union (EU) to engage the Uzbek government. Referring to the EU's decision to temporarily suspend a visa ban against selected government officials for involvement in the 2005 Andijon events, Hamroev said that the softening of EU sanctions against Uzbekistan did not indicate that the West had forgotten about Andijon, but rather, in his view, was a recognition that attempts by the West to isolate the Karimov regime had failed. He said that many human rights activists in Uzbekistan favored improved relations between Uzbekistan and the United States and the European Union, which they believe was likely to bring about positive change (Comment: Previously, the Ambassador and poloff have heard similar viewpoints from other human rights activists in Uzbekistan. End comment.) At the same time, Hamroev noted that the West cannot ignore human rights issues in Uzbekistan and must work out a strategy to improve human rights. The Ambassador assured Hamroev that the United States remains fully engaged with the government on human rights and is pursuing just such a strategy at the moment. ¶5. (C) Hamroev added that imposing sanctions against Uzbekistan was even potentially dangerous as it would encourage Uzbekistan to pursue closer cooperation with Russia and China, two countries which have demonstrated little interest in human rights issues. Though Hamroev believed it was important for Uzbekistan to maintain mutually beneficial relations with Russia and China, he argued that it was critical for Uzbekistan to balance their potentially negative influence on human rights by maintaining good relations with the West as well. (Comment: Hamroev has been long critical of Russian influence in Uzbekistan. During the meeting, Hamroev said that he supported independence for Uzbekistan as early as the 1970s, believing that Russians viewed Uzbeks and their country as "disposable." End comment.) HAMROEV PRESSES LOCAL OFFICAL FOR INCREASED DIALOGUE -------------- -------------- ¶6. (C) The meeting with the Hamroevs was attended by Jizzakh province Deputy Hokim Kenja Juraev (as well as another unnamed individual from the Hokimiyat, possibly a National Security Service (NSS) officer),who accompanied the Ambassador to all of his meetings in Jizzakh. Hamroev welcomed Juraev's participation, noting that it was the first time a hokimiyat (provincial administration) official had visited him. Hamroev stressed to Juraev that the key to progress on human rights issues was pursuing greater dialogue between human rights groups and the government. He pressed Juraev to arrange a meeting for him with the provincial Hokim, which Juraev agreed to do. Hamroev assured Juraev that he did not maintain a grudge against the hokimiyat for the mistreatment of his son, but also noted that at least two other Jizzakh-based human rights defenders remain imprisoned (Nosim Isakov and Mamarzhab Nazarov, both of whom were included on the list of 23 human rights defenders the Ambassador submitted to the GOU on February 26, see ref B.) HAMROEV LISTS HIS DEMANDS OF THE GOVERNMENT -------------- ¶7. (C) Hamroev also took advantage of Juraev's presence to make several demands of the government, including that it register human rights groups and opposition political parties like Erk and Birlik. He also demanded that political prisoners be released from prison, including Yusuf Jumaev and Mutabar Tojiboyeva (Comment: Tojiboyeva was included on the list the Ambassador submitted to the government. Some observers believe that Tojiboyeva has not yet been amnestied because she refuses to sign a written confession, which is routinely required of individuals granted amnesty. The Embassy decided not to include Jumaev on the list, as we believe it remains unclear whether the charges against him are politically-motivated, see ref C. End comment.) Hamroev also requested that the Embassy continue to support local human rights defenders through its Democracy Commission grants program and revive its exchange programs, which he noted sent a large number of Uzbeks to the United States prior to Andijon. HARRASSED HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST ALSO IN ATTENDANCE -------------- -------------- ¶8. (C) Also in attendance at the meeting was Saida Kurbanova, a human rights activist based in the Paktakor district of Jizzakh who has reportedly suffered from various forms of government harassment over the past year. On February 26, the independent Uznews.net reported that authorities were seeking to evict Kurbanova from her home for helping to stage protests in January and February over poor supplies of gas and electricity in her district. During the meeting with the Ambassador, Kurbanova did not mention being pressured to leave her home, though she reported that an unidentified man had snatched her bag on February 22, which contained her and her son's passports. Hamroev asked Juraev to contact the province's Department of Internal Affairs to investigate the theft. Kurbanova credited the hokimiyat for restoring electricity supplies in her district, although she noted that the gas shortage still had not been resolved. JAMSHID KARIMOV TO BE RELEASED IN APRIL? -------------- ¶9. (C) Prior to the Ambassador's trip, Hamroev also attempted to broker a meeting for him with Margarita Karimova, the sister-in-law of President Karimov and the mother of journalist Jamshid Karimov, who has been detained at a psychiatric hospital in Samarkand province since September 2006, despite doctors' admission that he was "stable, in good health, intelligent and educated." Karimova, who resides in Jizzakh and remains largely confined to her apartment due to poor health, told Hamroev that she would not meet with the Ambassador until her son was released from detention. She had been informed that a commission of doctors would meet again at the end of April to review Karimov's detention, and she was hopeful that he would be released. In a separate discussion with poloff on February 28, opposition Free Farmers Party leader Nigara Khidoyatova also reported being in touch with Margarita Karimova, who more or less told her the same thing. ¶10. (C) Despite Karimova's optimism, both Khidoyatova and Hamroev were doubtful that the government would release Karimov in April. Khidoyatova attributed Karimov's prolonged detention to poor relations with his cousin Azim Karimov, who runs Samarkand province's external trading department. Before his detention, Jamshid Karimov reportedly accused Azim of embezzlement and engaging in narcotics trafficking (Comment: We are not able to independently verify this information. End comment.) Hamroev was concerned that Karimova demonstrated little knowledge about her son's condition in detention. In the past year, there have been reports that Karimov's health has suffered in detention and that he now suffers from depression. COMMENT -------------- ¶11. (C) Although we were initially afraid that the presence of government officials at the meeting with Hamroev might dampen the conversation, Hamroev pulled no punches and fully took advantage of the situation to press Deputy Hokim Juraev on pursuing greater dialogue with human rights activists. While we are not necessarily optimistic that Hamroev will eventually receive his appointment at the hokimiyat, the meeting with Juraev and the Ambassador nevertheless afforded Hamroev a rare opportunity to directly engage with a relatively high-ranking provincial official on human rights issues. Throughout the meeting, Hamroev clearly articulated the viewpoint, shared by other local human rights activists, that imposing sanctions against the government at this point would hamper efforts to engage it on human rights reforms. Instead, Hamroev and others believe that pursuing greater dialogue with the government would gradually lead to improvement in its human rights record. ¶12. (C) We are growing increasingly concerned about the welfare of Jamshid Karimov, as it is unclear to what degree Magarita Karimova and others are able to monitor his condition. Given her reluctance to meet with us, we suspect that authorities may have warned her not to meet with foreign diplomats. Unlike other prisoners of conscience, Karimov is not being held at a prison, and thus, he cannot be visited by prison monitors. In a written reply the government sent the EU after it submitted a list of 28 political prisoners in May 2007 (which included Karimov),the Uzbeks replied that Karimov could not be amnestied as he has never committed a crime. If Jamshid Karimov is not released from psychiatric detention this April (as Margarita Karimova hopes),then we should consider an official request with the Uzbek government to visit Karimov in psychiatric detention in order to assess his well-being. Although the Uzbeks may not grant such a request, it will be another reminder that we are continuing to monitor Karimov's detention. NORLAND