UZBEKS RELEASE RELIGIOUS PRISONER, SON OF HUMAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 000633 SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN AND DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/06/2018 TAGS: PHUM KIRF PGOV PREL UZ SUBJECT: UZBEKS RELEASE RELIGIOUS PRISONER, SON OF HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST REF: A. 07 TASHKENT 314 ¶B. TASHKENT 549 Classified By: POLOFF R. FITZMAURICE FOR REASONS 1.4 (B, D) ¶1. (C) On June 6, Human Rights Watch director Igor Vorontsov confirmed that Hamidullo Madmarov, one of the sons of Margilan-based human rights activist Ahmadjan Madmarov, had completed his seven-year prison sentence and was released from custody. Ahmadjan Madmarov still has two other sons and two nephews in prison on religious extremism charges (ref A). CONDITIONS IMPROVING FOR RELIGIOUS PRISONERS? -------------- ¶2. (C) There also continue to be reports that prison conditions are improving for religious prisoners. On June 4, recently released human rights activist Ulugbek Kattabekov told poloff that when he first arrived at a prison in Jizzakh province in 2005, religious prisoners were held separately and treated much more harshly than other prisoners. However, Kattabekov reported that in September 2007, religious prisoners were reintegrated with the rest of the prison population, and their treatment subsequently improved. Poloff had previously heard a similar report of religious prisoners being reintegrated with the general prison population at the Jaslyk prison in Karakalpakstan in December 2007 (ref B). ¶3. (C) Comment: Although authorities did not release Madmarov's son early, his release is still significant. In the past, there were frequent reports of authorities contriving for religious prisoners to break prison rules as a means of lengthening their sentences and holding them indefinitely. During annual amnesties, there appeared to be very few prisoners released who had been convicted of religious extremism charges, and some observers told poloff that authorities never release such prisoners. The further confirmation that religious prisoners are being reintegrated with the general prison population and that their treatment is improving is also welcome. However, abuse of such prisoners no doubt continues. In May, poloff spoke with the family of another prisoner convicted of religious extremism charges whose sentence had been arbitrarily extended by prison authorities. Most likely, conditions are improving at some prisons, while reforms are lagging at others. NORLAND