Uzbekistan: GOU Officials Shut Down Embassy Outreach Event

C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 001259 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/CEN AMEMBASSY ASTANA PASS TO USOFFICE ALMATY AMEMBASSY HELSINKI PASS TO AMCONSUL ST PETERSBURG AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL YEKATERINBURG E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/07/20 TAGS: OEXC KPAO PREL PGOV UZ SUBJECT: Uzbekistan: GOU Officials Shut Down Embassy Outreach Event CLASSIFIED BY: Steven Prohaska, Second Secretary, State, Pol-Econ; REASON: 1.4(B),(D) ¶1. (C) On July 16, Government of Uzbekistan officials shut down an educational outreach event conducted by Post's Public Affairs Section (PAS) Education Advisor (a Foreign Service National) and Summer Intern at a Samarkand language center. The "English for You" language center (an officially registered institution) had invited Emboffs to deliver presentations on the U.S. educational system and graduate study applications to a group of some 20 college-aged students. (Note: Presentations included information on standardized tests such as the TOEFL, GRE, and GMAT; educational websites; U.S. government educational exchange programs; and educational institutions. End note.) Emboffs delivered their presentations on July 15 without interference, but during a session the following morning, a man and woman who claimed to be from Uzbekistan's Ministry of Justice arrived and called Post's Education Advisor out of the room for questioning. Realizing that something was wrong, a few students began to exit the room. The officials ordered Emboffs to stop the session and initially refused to let them leave, then insisted that they provide passport and other biographical information. The GOU officials also physically prohibited the remaining scared students from leaving and ordered them to provide information on themselves and the Emboffs present, as well as on the nature of the educational sessions. ¶2. (C) The officials ordered Education Advisor to write out a statement describing the educational materials she had brought with her. Other Government of Uzbekistan officials-including a police officer, a man named "Alisher" that Education Advisor believes is from the National Security Service, and another unidentified man-arrived at the language center shortly thereafter. Alisher did all of the talking once he arrived, and insisted on receiving passport data and hotel data from Emboffs. When Education Advisor explained that her passport was at the hotel, Alisher exclaimed, "What? You're an Uzbek!" and warned her that not having this could get her thrown in jail. ¶3. (C) PAS Intern was later able to contact the Embassy to request guidance, which resulted in the Acting Deputy Chief of Mission contacting Uzbekistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the incident. After this discussion, the Uzbek officials at the Samarkand language center received numerous phone calls to which they responded in Uzbek--they realized that PAS Intern understood Russian--while eyeing her. Their tone softened considerably after these calls. They asked Emboffs not to report them for yanking the students about the room, and insisted that Emboffs had broken the law. "You were giving educational presentations without a license and you did not inform the Ministry of Justice," they said. Furthermore, they said that PAS Intern's tourist visa did not allow her to be involved in such work. The Uzbek officials then seized almost all of the educational materials, indicating these would be returned (they did not specify when) via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. ¶4. (C) Comment: This incident marks the first time-in recent memory, at least-that Government of Uzbekistan officials have shut down an educational advising event in the presence of Embassy employees. We have been informed that the GOU has harassed school officials after previous advising events, however. The speed with which the officials changed their tune following phone calls from Tashkent suggests that their actions were not directed by the central government. BUTCHER