Uzbekistan: The Saga of Bahodir Choriev

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TASHKENT 001631

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
AMEMBASSY ASTANA PASS TO AMCONSUL ALMATY
AMEMBASSY HELSINKI PASS TO AMCONSUL ST PETERSBURG
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL YEKATERINBURG
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PASS TO AMEMBASSY PODGORICA
AMEMBASSY ATHENS PASS TO AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/12/16
TAGS: PREL PHUM ELAB PGOV UZ
SUBJECT: Uzbekistan: The Saga of Bahodir Choriev

REF: 09 TASHKENT 1609; 09 TASHKENT 1593; 09 TASHKENT 1585

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


1. (U) Summary: Uzbekistan officials forcibly returned
Bahadir Choriev, leader of the Birdamlik opposition party, to the
United States on the morning of December 11. Choriev's presence
had prompted much attention from law enforcement officials, and
rights activists are in many ways relieved to learn of his
departure. End summary.




2. (U) Bahadir Choriev is the leader of the Birdamlik
("Unity") opposition party in Uzbekistan. In 2004 he fled to the
United States as a refugee and gained notoriety as the "trucker
opposition leader," driving a semi-truck around the country and
talking about the situation in Uzbekistan to Uzbek exiles and
anyone else who cared to listen. He also staged protests in
Washington, at one point leading a protest against Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty, complaining about its coverage of issues in
Uzbekistan.




3. (SBU) In mid-October, Choriev returned to Uzbekistan. In
a meeting with poloff on December 3, he stated that his return was
motivated by a desire to help his activist friends and a sense of
duty to his country. He stated his goal was to help create a
country based upon the constitution and democratic principles, and
to do so by non-violent means. He stated that he did not believe
that revolution would be a good thing for Uzbekistan, as it would
result in anarchy and extremism, but he hoped that he could work
with other rights groups and the government to take steps to move
Uzbekistan toward a more democratic system.




4. (U) Choriev's presence in Uzbekistan caused an immediate
reaction: upon his arrival at the airport, officials seized his
passport and U.S. green card, several t-shirts and hats with
"Birdamlik" logos, and some personal possessions. Choriev moved to
his hometown of Shakhrisabz (about 500 miles south of Tashkent) and
remained under strict surveillance, with two cars following all of
his movements. When he met with friends, they were harassed by law
enforcement. In one case, activists he met with were beaten up
(see Ref C). When he tried to hold a founding congress for his
party, 30 of the 40 invitees were either detained or had their
passports confiscated, and the congress had to be canceled (see Ref
C). Following these problems, he decided to move to Tashkent to
stay with a brother.




5. (U) On December 10, Choriev was called to the airport
police station, ostensibly to retrieve his documents and
belongings. He was held for several hours, and at 5am the next
morning, officials escorted him aboard a plane back to the U.S.,
buying him an open-ended ticket and giving him just enough time to
inform his Tashkent-based brother of the news.




6. (C) Even before he was expelled, activists had voiced
their concerns with Choriev's activities (see Ref B),believing
that he was naC/ve in trying promote nonviolent resistance as a
method of political change in Uzbekistan, and that perhaps he
forgot about the real situation here while he was away. Now that
he has left, some activists have expressed their relief. Bakhtiyor
Hamroev, one of the activists beaten up following a brief meeting
with Choriev in November, told poloff today that he was glad
Choriev left, as he brought too much negative attention to human

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rights activists, and was unintentionally causing them great
difficulties. Even Birdamlik coordinator Diloram Ishakova was
relieved, telling an internet news site that pressure against
activists started after Choriev arrived, and that she believes it
will subside after the upcoming parliamentary elections.




7. (SBU) Comment: Choriev seemed an unlikely leader for a
color revolution, but officials may have viewed him as such. Part
of the problem may have been simply bad timing, as parliamentary
elections are approaching on December 27, and officials have
noticeably clamped down on anything regarded as opposition activity
in its run-up. He also did not have strong grass roots support,
however, as the Birdamlik party has decreased in number since he
departed (it was prevented from participating in the December 27
elections),and the human rights community viewed him with some
suspicion and distrust. The future of Birdamlik as an opposition
party, already questionable, is now even more uncertain.



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