Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09TASHKENT217
2009-02-25 10:06:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Tashkent
Cable title:
UZBEKISTAN: JOURNALIST REPORTEDLY ARRESTED ON SUSPICION OF
how-toVZCZCXRO4708 RR RUEHDBU DE RUEHNT #0217/01 0561005 ZNY CCCCC ZZH R 251006Z FEB 09 FM AMEMBASSY TASHKENT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0514 INFO CIS COLLECTIVE NATO EU COLLECTIVE RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0122 RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0169 RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0131 RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 0128 RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 0131 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0159 RUEHNT/AMEMBASSY TASHKENT RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 0124 RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TASHKENT 000217
SIPDIS SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SCA AND DRL
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PASS TO AMEMBASSY PODGORICA
AMEMBASSY ATHENS PASS TO AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL YEKATERINBURG
AMEMBASSY HELSINKI PASS TO AMCONSUL ST PETERSBURG
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019-02-25
TAGS: PHUM KPAO PGOV PREL UZ
SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN: JOURNALIST REPORTEDLY ARRESTED ON SUSPICION OF
FRAUD
TASHKENT 00000217 001.2 OF 002
CLASSIFIED BY: Richard Fitzmaurice, Poloff; REASON: 1.4(B),(D)
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TASHKENT 000217
SIPDIS SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SCA AND DRL
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PASS TO AMEMBASSY PODGORICA
AMEMBASSY ATHENS PASS TO AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL YEKATERINBURG
AMEMBASSY HELSINKI PASS TO AMCONSUL ST PETERSBURG
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019-02-25
TAGS: PHUM KPAO PGOV PREL UZ
SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN: JOURNALIST REPORTEDLY ARRESTED ON SUSPICION OF
FRAUD
TASHKENT 00000217 001.2 OF 002
CLASSIFIED BY: Richard Fitzmaurice, Poloff; REASON: 1.4(B),(D)
1. (U) In an announcement on its website, the Ezgulik human rights
group reported that independent journalist and human rights
defender Dilurod Sayyidov was arrested in Tashkent on February 22
and handed over to authorities from Samarkand province on February
23. After his arrest, Sayyidov reportedly told Ezgulik deputy
director Abdurakhmon Tashanov that authorities in Samarkand
province had accused him of fraud.
AUTHORITIES SEARCH SAYYIDOV'S HOME
--------------
2. (C) On February 24, Tashanov reported being present as
authorities searched Sayyidov's home in Tashkent and found nothing
incriminating. According to Tashanov, Sayyidov has not yet been
formally charged, but remains detained as a suspect (whether in
Tashkent or Samarkand remains unclear).
SAYYIDOV REPORTEDLY ANGERED LOCAL OFFICIALS IN SAMARKAND
-------------- --------------
3. (C) Sayyidov's arrest also was reported by Rapid Reaction human
rights group member Sukhrob Ismoilov, who explained that Sayyidov
was in the process of assisting 10 farmers from Samarkand's Jomboy
district that were engaged in unspecified legal actions against
local officials. According to Ismoilov, local officials, including
the deputy hokim (mayor) of Jomboy district, had recently
threatened Sayyidov.
4. (C) Tashanov reported being told by the Samarkand Prosecutor's
Office that a resident of Jomboy district, Marghuba Jurayeva, had
been arrested while in possession of 10,000 dollars. After her
arrest, Jurayeva allegedly claimed that Sayyidov had blackmailed a
local farmer into paying the amount, which he then ordered her to
pick up. The resident's stepfather reportedly told Tashanov that
her daughter was a liar, but confirmed that she knew Sayyidov. In
contrast, Sayyidov allegedly denied knowing Jurayeva.
BACKGROUND ON SAYYIDOV
--------------
5. (C) Sayyidov, an Embassy contact, worked as a journalist at a
state-controlled newspaper until 2005, when he was fired after
printing an article openly critical of authorities. Since then, he
has worked for various independent human rights groups, including
Ezgulik and the Rapid Reaction Group. He also has published
articles on the independent Voice of Freedom website and has
distributed additional articles on various human rights issues via
email. Sayyidov is suffering from tuberculosis and received
funding for medical treatment through the State Department's Global
Defender's Fund last year. The last time poloff saw Sayyidov in
December, his condition appeared stable. Sayyidov's reporting in
the last few years has not been particularly noteworthy. He also
TASHKENT 00000217 002.2 OF 002
has repeatedly (and unsuccessfully) applied through the Embassy's
Democracy Commission to fund various project proposals, but they
were uniformly vague and often included the names of individuals
who later told Emboffs that they knew nothing of Sayyidov's
proposals.
COMMENT
--------------
6. (C) We will continue to follow Sayyidov's case as closely as
possible. Sayyidov was most likely targeted because of his
specific involvement in the farmers' case in Samarkand, rather than
his writing or general human rights activity. As Ismoilov
speculated, we believe it is possible that Sayyidov's arrest was
arranged by local officials in Samarkand province who were upset
with the role he might have played in assisting the farmers.
Provincial-level authorities have been known to frame human rights
activists on fraud or similar charges, the most recent victim being
Akzam Turgunov, who was imprisoned on politically motivated charges
of extortion by local authorities in Uzbekistan's autonomous
republic of Karakalpakstan in October 2008.
NORLAND
To view the entire SMART message, go to URL http://repository.state.sgov.gov/_layouts/OSS SearchResults.aspx?k=messageid:fba0e5c9-5de8- 4906-9777-5d612b54d81b
SIPDIS SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SCA AND DRL
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PASS TO AMEMBASSY PODGORICA
AMEMBASSY ATHENS PASS TO AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL YEKATERINBURG
AMEMBASSY HELSINKI PASS TO AMCONSUL ST PETERSBURG
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019-02-25
TAGS: PHUM KPAO PGOV PREL UZ
SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN: JOURNALIST REPORTEDLY ARRESTED ON SUSPICION OF
FRAUD
TASHKENT 00000217 001.2 OF 002
CLASSIFIED BY: Richard Fitzmaurice, Poloff; REASON: 1.4(B),(D)
1. (U) In an announcement on its website, the Ezgulik human rights
group reported that independent journalist and human rights
defender Dilurod Sayyidov was arrested in Tashkent on February 22
and handed over to authorities from Samarkand province on February
23. After his arrest, Sayyidov reportedly told Ezgulik deputy
director Abdurakhmon Tashanov that authorities in Samarkand
province had accused him of fraud.
AUTHORITIES SEARCH SAYYIDOV'S HOME
--------------
2. (C) On February 24, Tashanov reported being present as
authorities searched Sayyidov's home in Tashkent and found nothing
incriminating. According to Tashanov, Sayyidov has not yet been
formally charged, but remains detained as a suspect (whether in
Tashkent or Samarkand remains unclear).
SAYYIDOV REPORTEDLY ANGERED LOCAL OFFICIALS IN SAMARKAND
-------------- --------------
3. (C) Sayyidov's arrest also was reported by Rapid Reaction human
rights group member Sukhrob Ismoilov, who explained that Sayyidov
was in the process of assisting 10 farmers from Samarkand's Jomboy
district that were engaged in unspecified legal actions against
local officials. According to Ismoilov, local officials, including
the deputy hokim (mayor) of Jomboy district, had recently
threatened Sayyidov.
4. (C) Tashanov reported being told by the Samarkand Prosecutor's
Office that a resident of Jomboy district, Marghuba Jurayeva, had
been arrested while in possession of 10,000 dollars. After her
arrest, Jurayeva allegedly claimed that Sayyidov had blackmailed a
local farmer into paying the amount, which he then ordered her to
pick up. The resident's stepfather reportedly told Tashanov that
her daughter was a liar, but confirmed that she knew Sayyidov. In
contrast, Sayyidov allegedly denied knowing Jurayeva.
BACKGROUND ON SAYYIDOV
--------------
5. (C) Sayyidov, an Embassy contact, worked as a journalist at a
state-controlled newspaper until 2005, when he was fired after
printing an article openly critical of authorities. Since then, he
has worked for various independent human rights groups, including
Ezgulik and the Rapid Reaction Group. He also has published
articles on the independent Voice of Freedom website and has
distributed additional articles on various human rights issues via
email. Sayyidov is suffering from tuberculosis and received
funding for medical treatment through the State Department's Global
Defender's Fund last year. The last time poloff saw Sayyidov in
December, his condition appeared stable. Sayyidov's reporting in
the last few years has not been particularly noteworthy. He also
TASHKENT 00000217 002.2 OF 002
has repeatedly (and unsuccessfully) applied through the Embassy's
Democracy Commission to fund various project proposals, but they
were uniformly vague and often included the names of individuals
who later told Emboffs that they knew nothing of Sayyidov's
proposals.
COMMENT
--------------
6. (C) We will continue to follow Sayyidov's case as closely as
possible. Sayyidov was most likely targeted because of his
specific involvement in the farmers' case in Samarkand, rather than
his writing or general human rights activity. As Ismoilov
speculated, we believe it is possible that Sayyidov's arrest was
arranged by local officials in Samarkand province who were upset
with the role he might have played in assisting the farmers.
Provincial-level authorities have been known to frame human rights
activists on fraud or similar charges, the most recent victim being
Akzam Turgunov, who was imprisoned on politically motivated charges
of extortion by local authorities in Uzbekistan's autonomous
republic of Karakalpakstan in October 2008.
NORLAND
To view the entire SMART message, go to URL http://repository.state.sgov.gov/_layouts/OSS SearchResults.aspx?k=messageid:fba0e5c9-5de8- 4906-9777-5d612b54d81b