UZBEKISTAN: DAS KROL MEETS WITH CIVIL SOCIETY

C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 000890 SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN AND DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/31/2018 TAGS: PHUM ECON ELAB KIRF PGOV PREL SOCI UZ SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN: DAS KROL MEETS WITH CIVIL SOCIETY REPRESENTATIVES REF: A. TASHKENT 854 ¶B. TASHKENT 749 ¶C. TASHKENT 821 ¶D. TASHKENT 627 ¶E. TASHKENT 767 ¶F. TASHKENT 708 ¶G. TASHKENT 855 Classified By: POLOFF R. FITZMAURICE FOR REASONS 1.4 (B, D) ¶1. (C) Summary: During a two-day visit to Uzbekistan on July 24 - 25, Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia George Krol participated in an Embassy roundtable with human rights activists and the Director of the Bible Society of Uzbekistan, and had separate meetings with two human rights activists from the Ferghana Valley. The meetings provided DAS Krol with the opportunity to discuss the current human rights environment and to hear more about socio-economic conditions in the country. During a meeting with Religious Affairs Committee (RAC) Chairman Ortik Yusupov, DAS Krol inquired about the status of an exchange of letters with Ambassador-at-Large for Religious Freedom John Hanford; raised concerns about the harassment and imprisonment of members of religious minority groups; and asked why the RAC recently refused to allow the Bible Society to import a large shipment of Christian literature. End summary. HUMAN RIGHTS ROUNDTABLE AT THE EMBASSY -------------- ¶2. (C) At an Embassy roundtable on July 24, DAS Krol and the Charge discussed the current state of human rights in Uzbekistan with Free Farmers' party leader Nigara Khidoyatova, Ferghana-based activist Abdusalom Ergashev, Bukhara-based activist Shukhrat Ganiev, and Bible Society of Uzbekistan director Sergei Mitin. Khidoyatova explained that her organization has worked since 2003 to protect the rights of farmers. She argued that the agricultural sector has not been truly reformed since the Soviet era, as farmers are still required to grow set amounts of cotton and wheat to fulfill state orders, for which they are paid below market value. Khidoyatova also raised the case of Sunshine Coalition leader Sanjar Umarov, whose health is reportedly deteriorating again in prison (ref A). ¶3. (C) Ganiev, a lawyer by training, noted that Uzbekistan already has acceded to many international human rights agreements and adopted many progressive laws, but observed that the reforms are not always implemented. He believed that President Karimov was not alone to blame for the country's stagnation, alleging that he is surrounded by advisors who still maintained a Soviet-era mentality and were resistant to political and economic reforms. Ergashev raised similar criticisms, blaming the ignorance and poor training of officials for the country's human rights problems. He observed that Uzbekistan's justice system was corrupt and judges lacked independence. He argued that recent legal reforms like the death penalty abolition and the introduction of habeas corpus were mostly cosmetic. DIFFICULTIES FACED BY CHRISTIAN MINORITIES -------------- ¶4. (C) Mitin - director of the Bible Society of Uzbekistan, an interdenominational organization involved in the translation, publication, and distribution of Bibles and other Christian literature - argued that government officials are ignorant of religious minorities. He observed that the number of registered Christian organizations has been decreasing in recent years, as authorities deregister some groups and refuse to register new ones. According to Mitin, there are currently 60 Christian denominations active in Uzbekistan, only 20 of which are registered. The other groups continue to assemble for worship, but live in constant fear of prosecution (Comment: It is illegal for unregistered religious organizations to congregate and members of such organizations continue to endure fines, detentions, and occasionally worse. The government continues to target groups that appear to engage in proselytism, which is illegal under Uzbek law. End comment.) Mitin also observed that the state-controlled media has recently carried several items hostile to Christians minorities, including a television documentary that accused several Christian denominations of using illegal means to attract new members, including offering money to recruits and using psychotropic drugs and hypnosis (ref B). ¶5. (C) Mitin reported that the Religious Affairs Committee (RAC),which must approve the importation of any religious literature into the country, recently ordered the return of a large shipment of Christian literature that the Bible Society attempted to import into Uzbekistan in May. The RAC claimed that the Bible Society had not adequately Informed them about the shipment, but Mitin believed it was because the shipment included 7,000 children's Bibles in Uzbek and Karakalpak, that the RAC might have suspected would be used in missionary activities (ref C). ACTIVISTS' VIEWS ON ENGAGEMENT WITH UZBEK GOVERNMENT -------------- -------------- ¶6. (C) All of the activists desired greater dialogue between the government and the West, but not all agreed on how this could be best accomplished. Khidoyatova supported what she believed to be the approach of the European Union. Previously, she strongly favored imposing sanctions on Uzbekistan and isolating the Karimov regime, but she explained her views had changed recently, and that she now supported increased contact with the government. However, she believed that the threat of sanctions should not be entirely removed, as she believed that it was this threat that encouraged the Uzbek government to continue dialogue with the West. ¶7. (C) The other participants were less supportive of sanctions. Ergashev believed that Uzbekistan was now at a crossroads as relations with Russia appeared to be worsening. He believed that the government desired closer relations with the West again, and it was now up to the West to the make the most of this opening. Through dialogue, Ganiev believed the U.S. could press Uzbekistan to fulfill its obligations under international human rights treaties and enforce its laws. Ganiev also believed that the United States could serve as a mediator between the government and Uzbekistan's civil society. Mitin also favored increased dialogue with the government. ¶8. (C) DAS Krol observed that the United States would like to take pragmatic steps to engage Uzbekistan society and government across the board in all areas -- not only on security and economic issues, but also on human rights. He observed that the Uzbeks seemed willing to increase engagement, but noted that the government needed to take more concrete steps on human rights. NEW PHENOMENON IN LABOR MIGRATION -------------- ¶9. (C) Ganiev observed that labor migration from Uzbekistan - caused by rampant unemployment and economic instability - continued to increase. But he observed that many Uzbek labor migrants were now settling permanently abroad, mostly in Russia and Kazakhstan, and attempting to bring their families with them. Previously, Uzbek labor migrants generally headed abroad for part of the year before returning home. According to Ganiev, there were now villages almost entirely populated by Uzbeks in certain rural regions of Russia, especially in Kaliningrad and Saint Petersburg regions and in Siberia. As far as Uzbekistan was concerned, Ganiev believed that the permanent settling abroad of Uzbek families was a negative development, as the country's economy has grown dependent on remittances that labor migrants send back to their families. (Comment: During his recent trip to Bukhara, Ganiev introduced poloff to a woman who works at an informational center for labor migrants, who told poloff much the same, septel. End comment.) SEPARATE MEETINGS WITH FERGHANA VALLEY ACTIVISTS -------------- -- ¶10. (C) DAS Krol also met separately with two human rights defenders from the Ferghana Valley. On July 24, DAS Krol and the Charge met with Margilan-based activist Mutabar Tojiboyeva, who was released from prison on medical grounds during Assistant Secretary Richard Boucher's visit to Uzbekistan in June (ref D). She was not amnestied and remains under a three-year suspended sentence. Tojiboyeva - who appears to suffer from a serious, though still not completely diagnosed, illness (ref E) - explained to Krol that authorities had recently granted her permission to travel to Tashkent to visit the Tashkent Oncological Hospital for a diagnosis and treatment. Tojiboyeva had been previously denied permission to travel to Tashkent earlier in July to attend recent national days at the U.S. and French Embassies. She added that authorities have still not provided her permission to seek treatment abroad. ¶11. (C) After she completes her treatment, Tojiboyeva said that she would continue her human rights work, including writing a book entitled "Prisoner of Torture Island." While she observed that conditions at her prison had improved over time, Tojiboyeva noted that inmates were not provided with adequate food and inmates with tuberculosis and other illnesses were not segregated. When inquired about her views on sanctions, Tojiboyeva replied that she did not support them because she believed they would only increase the suffering of the Uzbek people. Instead, she favored additional International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) prison visits. ¶12. (C) On July 25, DAS Krol met with Andijon-based human rights activist and doctor Gulbahor Turaeva, who was sentenced to three years' probation last year on politically-motivated charges and was amnestied in February ¶2008. Turaeva complained that Andijon authorities continued to harass her family since her amnesty. Both Turaeva and her husband have not been able to find reliable work, which she believes is due to her human rights activism, and she is now having difficulty supporting her five children (Comment: Poloff recently submitted a request for assistance on Turaeva's behalf through the Global Defender's Fund. End comment.) ¶13. (C) Turaeva also complained that residents of Andijon Province suffered from deficits of electricity, gas, and water. In addition, she alleged that the Uzbek medical system was riddled with corruption, with doctors even demanding payment for providing treatment to tuberculosis-sufferers. She also accused authorities of deliberately underreporting infant mortality levels, threatening to fine mothers who have more than two children, and performing medically unnecessary hysterectomies on women without their knowledge or consent (Comment: Many of Turaeva's allegations of abuses in Uzbekistan's medical system are not new and have been made by her and others before. End comment.) MEETING WITH RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN YUSUPOV -------------- -------------- ¶14. (C) On July 25, DAS Krol met with Religious Affairs Committee (RAC) Chairman Ortiq Yusupov and inquired about the status of a promised exchange of letters with Ambassador-at-Large for Religious Freedom John Hanford on concrete steps the government could take to improve religious freedom in Uzbekistan (ref F). Yusupov replied that the proposals in Hanford's letter were still being "reviewed and studied." He said that not all of the letter's recommendations could be accepted as they did not correspond with "the mentality of the people" and the "internal situation in the country." Yusupov explained that a proposal to create a commission to review for amnesty cases of individuals convicted on religious extremism charges was "being reviewed," but added that the government had no intention of eliminating fines for individuals who violated the 1998 Religion Law. Yusupov stressed that Law's penalties were one of the government's few tools for maintaining harmony between the country's different religious confessions. MFA U.S. Affairs Chief Ismat Fayzullaev, who was also attending the meeting, interjected that Hanford's letter was being "deeply reviewed." He added that Uzbek Ambassador to the United States Komilov had been instructed to explain the government's position in Washington and stressed that a "mutual position" could be agreed upon before September. ¶15. (C) DAS Krol raised concern over the harassment of religious minorities, especially Pentecostals and Jehovah's Witnesses, and the continued imprisonment of Pentecostal Pastor Dmitry Shestakov and Jehovah's Witnesses Irfan Hamidov and Olim Turayev. Yusupov responded that all religious organizations are treated equally and that no individuals have been imprisoned solely for their religious activity. Referring specifically to Shestakov, Yusupov said that the Pastor would not be imprisoned if he had not broken the law, but added that authorities would "study the issue further." ¶16. (C) DAS Krol also inquired why the RAC had recently rejected the Bible Society's shipment of Christian literature (ref B). Yusupov replied that the Bible Society had "done many good things" before, but lately had made "mistakes." He repeated accusations made in a June 30 letter, including that the Bible Society had not properly informed the RAC of the shipment. However, Yusupov also added that the Bible Society could not import literature "without restriction," and said that the main issue was the "language and amount of literature" (Comment: Yusupov's words seem to confirm Mitin's allegation that the RAC rejected the literature shipment because it contained a large number of Bibles in Uzbek and Karakalpak that could be used for missionary activities. End comment.) Yusupov further elaborated that if the Bible Society had informed the RAC about the literature shipment in advance, including the amount of literature that would go to each denomination, then it would have no problems importing literature. ¶17. (C) Yusupov added that it was the responsibility of the RAC to inspect all imported literature for "extremist content." When DAS Krol asked whether the RAC inspected Bibles for "extremist content," Yusupov asserted that the RAC inspected all literature, including Bibles and Korans. He claimed that the RAC recently inspected a shipment of 5,000 Korans and had discovered extremist literature hidden inside. ¶18. (C) DAS Krol stressed with Yusupov that protecting society from the threat of extremism and promoting religious freedom should not be seen as mutually exclusive goals. Instead, he noted that it was in the government's best interest to find a way to balance its legitimate security concerns with its constitutional guarantee of religious freedom. DAS Krol observed that religious minorities also have been persecuted in the United States, but explained that the United States government has sought to protect the right of individuals to choose their religion, even if it went against the prejudices of the majority. DAS Krol underscored that concluding an exchange of letters with Hanford would be an important step forward in holding a constructive dialogue on religious freedom between our two countries. COMMENT -------------- ¶19. (C) The human rights roundtable and separate meetings with Ferghana Valley-based human rights activists provided DAS Krol with the opportunity to discuss the human rights environment in Uzbekistan and hear more about the current socio-economic conditions in different regions of the country. As some of the activists noted, the Uzbek government continues to ratify international agreements on human rights and adopt progressive national laws, but these have yet to be fully implemented. We also agree with those who argued that the key to progress is to seize upon the current warming trend in relations to pursue greater dialogue on human rights and to provide officials with greater training opportunities. Ganiev's observation that greater numbers of Uzbek labor migrants are deciding to settle permanently abroad is especially worthy of further attention. ¶20. (C) Yusupov and Fayzullaev's explanation on the current status of Hanford's letter largely tracks with what President Karimov told the Ambassador on July 23 (ref G). We believe the government is serious about finalizing an exchange of letters before September 1, and we intend to approach the MFA soon with an amended version of Hanford's letter, which takes into consideration some of the issues raised by President Karimov and other officials. ¶21. (U) DAS George Krol cleared this telegram. BUTCHER