Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08TASHKENT462
2008-04-18 12:23:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Tashkent
Cable title:
PRESIDENT KARIMOV SIGNS ANTI-HUMAN TRAFFICKING LAW
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UNCLAS TASHKENT 000462
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR G/TIP SHEREEN FARAJ AND MEGAN HALL; SCA FOR
JESSICA MAZZONE; DRL; INL FOR ANDREW BUHLER
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KWMN KCRM UZ
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT KARIMOV SIGNS ANTI-HUMAN TRAFFICKING LAW
REF: A. TASHKENT 351
B. 07 TASHKENT 1806
C. TASHKENT 442
UNCLAS TASHKENT 000462
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR G/TIP SHEREEN FARAJ AND MEGAN HALL; SCA FOR
JESSICA MAZZONE; DRL; INL FOR ANDREW BUHLER
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KWMN KCRM UZ
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT KARIMOV SIGNS ANTI-HUMAN TRAFFICKING LAW
REF: A. TASHKENT 351
B. 07 TASHKENT 1806
C. TASHKENT 442
1. (U) On April 17 President Karimov signed Uzbekistan's
first comprehensive anti-trafficking in persons legislation
into law. This marked the final step in a surprisingly rapid
legislative process. The bill was introduced in January,
passed by the lower chamber on March 13, and by the Senate on
March 27 (ref A). The timeline was consistent with the
promises the Ministry of Foreign Affairs outlined last
October (ref B). The need for a counter-trafficking law was
a central element on the TIP Action Plan presented to the
Government of Uzbekistan after its Tier 3 rating on the 2007
TIP Report. Nodira Karimova, the Director of the key
anti-trafficking nongovernmental organization Istiqbolli
Avlod, hailed the new legislation as a major step forward.
Comment:
--------------
2. (U) It is significant that the Government of Uzbekistan
has finally stepped up to the plate to implement a key
element of the TIP Action Plan. This is the centerpiece of
the Government of Uzbekistan's concerted effort to address
the TIP issue, and builds on previously documented increases
in public awareness materials on state-run mass media, more
convictions, better cooperation in providing data, and a
steadily improved working relationship with NGOs on the
ground.
3. (SBU) We expect the Government of Uzbekistan to promote
this major development aggressively, and already on April 18
the main state-controlled newspaper Narodnoe Slovo (People's
Word) prominently published a Russian-language edition of the
law on the front page in a unique two-sided format to allow
interested parties to clip and save as a reference manual.
We will analyze the content of the law and report separately.
Implementation of this new law will certainly feature
prominently at an upcoming major TIP-themed conference in
Tashkent this May being organized by the United Nations
Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
4. (SBU) Even if the law proves to be imperfect, the
Government of Uzbekistan will be self-congratulatory about
moving toward what it sees as the mainstream and will seek
positive feedback. Uzbekistan will also likely express a
willingness to work with Western countries on implementing
further reforms, as it did recently with habeas corpus
issues. This is the best opportunity since the inception of
the TIP Report to build a cooperative rather than adversarial
tone on the trafficking in persons issue. As with other
recent significant legislative actions such as the adoption
of the International Labor Organization (ILO) Conventions
(ref C),we will closely monitor implementation to see if
this law really has legs; however, in the meantime it is in
our interests to recognize the progress to date with a
promotion to Tier 2. Such recognition of progress may help
spur further substantive reform and serve as an important
building block in our slowly reemerging relationship.
NORLAND
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR G/TIP SHEREEN FARAJ AND MEGAN HALL; SCA FOR
JESSICA MAZZONE; DRL; INL FOR ANDREW BUHLER
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KWMN KCRM UZ
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT KARIMOV SIGNS ANTI-HUMAN TRAFFICKING LAW
REF: A. TASHKENT 351
B. 07 TASHKENT 1806
C. TASHKENT 442
1. (U) On April 17 President Karimov signed Uzbekistan's
first comprehensive anti-trafficking in persons legislation
into law. This marked the final step in a surprisingly rapid
legislative process. The bill was introduced in January,
passed by the lower chamber on March 13, and by the Senate on
March 27 (ref A). The timeline was consistent with the
promises the Ministry of Foreign Affairs outlined last
October (ref B). The need for a counter-trafficking law was
a central element on the TIP Action Plan presented to the
Government of Uzbekistan after its Tier 3 rating on the 2007
TIP Report. Nodira Karimova, the Director of the key
anti-trafficking nongovernmental organization Istiqbolli
Avlod, hailed the new legislation as a major step forward.
Comment:
--------------
2. (U) It is significant that the Government of Uzbekistan
has finally stepped up to the plate to implement a key
element of the TIP Action Plan. This is the centerpiece of
the Government of Uzbekistan's concerted effort to address
the TIP issue, and builds on previously documented increases
in public awareness materials on state-run mass media, more
convictions, better cooperation in providing data, and a
steadily improved working relationship with NGOs on the
ground.
3. (SBU) We expect the Government of Uzbekistan to promote
this major development aggressively, and already on April 18
the main state-controlled newspaper Narodnoe Slovo (People's
Word) prominently published a Russian-language edition of the
law on the front page in a unique two-sided format to allow
interested parties to clip and save as a reference manual.
We will analyze the content of the law and report separately.
Implementation of this new law will certainly feature
prominently at an upcoming major TIP-themed conference in
Tashkent this May being organized by the United Nations
Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
4. (SBU) Even if the law proves to be imperfect, the
Government of Uzbekistan will be self-congratulatory about
moving toward what it sees as the mainstream and will seek
positive feedback. Uzbekistan will also likely express a
willingness to work with Western countries on implementing
further reforms, as it did recently with habeas corpus
issues. This is the best opportunity since the inception of
the TIP Report to build a cooperative rather than adversarial
tone on the trafficking in persons issue. As with other
recent significant legislative actions such as the adoption
of the International Labor Organization (ILO) Conventions
(ref C),we will closely monitor implementation to see if
this law really has legs; however, in the meantime it is in
our interests to recognize the progress to date with a
promotion to Tier 2. Such recognition of progress may help
spur further substantive reform and serve as an important
building block in our slowly reemerging relationship.
NORLAND