Uzbekistan: Human Rights Activists and Religious Figures

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/11/24
TAGS: PREL PHUM ELAB PGOV KCRM UZ
SUBJECT: Uzbekistan: Human Rights Activists and Religious Figures
Continue to Face Pressure

REF: 09 TASHKENT 1585; 09 TASHKENT 1573; 09 TASHKENT 1604

CLASSIFIED BY: Holly Lindquist Thomas, P/E Officer, State, Tashkent;
REASON: 1.4(B),(D)

1) (C) Summary: Human rights activists and religious figures
have reported more frequent harassment and intimidation from law
enforcement over the last two months. Rights activists attribute
this increase to attempts by government officials at various levels
to quiet "independent voices" prior to the December 27
parliamentary elections. End summary.



Reports from Human Rights Activists



2) (C) Vasila Inoyatova, Chairperson for the Ezgulik human
rights organization in Uzbekistan, and Sukhrobjon Ismoilov, human
rights analyst with the Rapid Response Group (RRG),met with poloff
on November 18 to discuss what they perceive as a recent crackdown
against human rights activists. Both reported that the harassment
of human rights activists is increasing in the run-up to
parliamentary elections, scheduled for December 27. Inoyatova
pointed out that this was not unexpected, as the government has a
history of using repressive tactics before most major elections
since independence. These activists discussed the following cases:




3) (C) Events Surrounding Bahadir Choriev: On November 11,
police went to the homes of four activists in Jizzakh, and two of
them were beaten later in the day after they tried to meet with
returned political opposition figure Bahadir Choriev. (See Ref A.)
Choriev had tried to meet with activists in the Ferghana Valley, as
well, but police called on the activists and forbade them from
doing so. (Note: Both Inoyatova and Ismoilov expressed concerns
about Choriev's activities. Choriev espouses nonviolent
resistance, and has called for mass actions in the past such as
everyone wearing white to recognize the anniversary of the 2005
Andijon events. He has also floated ideas such as staging a march
from Kashkadarya to Tashkent to protest government activities.
Although he does not yet have a large following, the GOU is
obviously watching him closely. Inoyatova stated that although she
respects Choriev's decision to return to Uzbekistan, she believes
his tactics are not suitable for Uzbekistan, and may even be
dangerous for the public. "You can't forget Andijon," she said.
End note.)



4) (C) Bobomurod Razzoqov: Rozzoqov is Ezgulik's Regional
Chairman in Bukhara, and has been active in standing up for
farmers' rights. Without notification to Razzoqov of any charges,
a district court recently found him guilty of administrative code
violations and fined him 335,450 soum (about 225 USD),for using
village land without permission. Inoyatova reported that law
enforcement warned Rozzoqov several days before the conviction that
he should stop his human rights activities and stop talking to
foreign journalists.



5) (C) Ganikhon Mamatkhanov: Mamatkhanov is a member of the
Independent Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan, and has been active
on farmers' rights issues in the Ferghana Valley. On October 9, an
unknown man approached Mamatkhanov and put something into his bag.
Police approached him immediately and found 500,000 Uzbek soum

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(about 330 USD) in his bag. Based on this evidence and the
allegations of two farmers (one of whom Mamatkhanov claims he has
never met),Mamatkhanov was arrested on October 12 on charges of
fraud and bribery. He faces up to 10 years in prison for each
charge. His trial started November 17 in Ferghana City, and
although several human rights activists tried to attend in a show
of support, they were not allowed to attend.



6) (SBU) Abdusalom Ergashev: Ergashev is a member of the RRG
analytical group, and is another well-known activist in Ferghana
Valley who has been facing increased attention from law
enforcement. Ergashev was with Mamatkhanov when the money was
placed in his bag, and suspects that there have been attempts to
set him up for trouble, as well. At the beginning of November, two
construction workers who had worked on Ergashev's house last year
told him that they were approached and encouraged to meet with the
local Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) office to talk about
Ergashev. They did not do so. On November 11, Ergashev received a
phone call from an unknown caller asking him to come to the train
station to pick up a package. When he questioned the caller about
his identities and other details, the caller hung up. On November
13, the Chairperson of Ergashev's Mahalla Committee (neighborhood
administrative unit) informed Ergashev that her supervisor from the
MIA demanded that she write a character profile on Ergashev. When
she wrote about Ergashev's positive characteristics, the MIA
official told her to rewrite it with a negative assessment. She
refused to do so.



Reports from Religious Figures



7) (C) Dmitry Pitirimov, the director of the "Joy" Baptist
Summer Camp recently fined for teaching religion to minors and tax
evasion (see Ref B),reported that on the night of November 11, he
and his family spent a night away from home, visiting his daughter.
When they returned home, it was clear that someone had been there.
No money or valuables were taken, but cabinets and boxes were
dumped out as if searched, the gas valve on the oven was open, and
a folder with documents related to Pitirimov's business was dumped
on the balcony and wet with kerosene. Other things were disturbed
as well: a thick pile of wet newspapers was in the sink, dust from
a garbage can was spread all over kitchen cabinets, buttons were
torn from a jacket and the jacket shoved behind a toilet bowl tank;
Christian wall calendars were thrown in a toilet. When Pitirimov
called the police and said he believed the action to be related to
his recent trial, police accused him of staging the disturbance
himself. After completing the paperwork with police, he and his
family returned to his daughter's home.



8) (C) Igor Morozov, the local representative for the
Jehovah's Witnesses in Uzbekistan, reported on November 18 that a
district court convicted him of teaching religion illegally and
fined him 3,364,500 soum (about 2,200 USD). Morozov filed the
paperwork last year to register a local group of Jehovah's
Witnesses, but the application was denied. He believes that
authorities charged and convicted him in an effort to prevent him
from pursuing legal status for the Tashkent congregation.



9) (C) Inoyatova also reported an increase in the number of
cases against people seen as falling outside of the religious
mainstream, particularly those whom authorities consider part of
"Nur," the Turkish-based Muslim organization for followers of Said

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Nursi. Inoyatova and Ismoilov agreed that Nur seems to have no
actual organized presence or leadership here, but it is the current
label authorities give to those they charge with religious
extremism. Ismoilov reported that authorities have begun arresting
members of an alleged new group given the name "Birodarlar"
("Brothers") in Surhandaryo Province, but he questions whether an
actual "group" really exists. When asked whether she sees this
clampdown on both Muslim and Protestant groups as part of the
repression related to the upcoming elections, Inoyatova replied,
"Of course. They want to silence any independent voice."



Comment



10) (C) Reports that a clampdown against human rights activists
is underway track with what Post has been observing, and the
upcoming elections may well be the cause. Religious figures have
been unable to come up with a concrete reason for the increased
problems they have been experiencing, but the elections are a
possible explanation for that, as well. The GOU has taken very
little overt action regarding the upcoming elections - with no
visible signs of a "campaign," other than in the artificial,
state-controlled press. This clampdown against activists suggests,
however, that the GOU takes the elections and the potential for
unrest surrounding them very seriously. Some incidents (such as in
Jizzakh) may be the work of zealous local officials. If raised in
the right way, these cases may be looked into by the central
authorities, who claim to be interested in addressing instances of
abuse. But the GOU's harsh posture toward perceived systemic
challenges will require longer-term approaches, which could be
fleshed out as the Annual Bilateral Consultation process unfolds.
End comment.
NORLAND