VZCZCXRO9274
PP RUEHDBU
DE RUEHNT #0852 1210226
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 010226Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY TASHKENT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5662
INFO RUEHTA/AMEMBASSY ALMATY 7855
RUEHAH/AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT 1941
RUEHEK/AMEMBASSY BISHKEK 2468
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 2369
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 1749

UNCLAS TASHKENT 000852 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/CEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM UZ
SUBJECT: GOU CLOSES ABA/CEELI 
 
REF: Tashkent 810 
 
Sensitive but Unclassified.  Please protect accordingly. 
 
¶1. (SBU) On April 27, a Tashkent City Civil Court judge 
ordered the American Bar Association's Central European and 
Eurasia Law Initiative (ABA/CEELI) to liquidate.  In 
requesting ABA/CEELI's liquidation, the Ministry of Justice 
(MOJ) alleged that the organization acted outside its 
mandate and charter by establishing defense lawyer bar 
associations and providing legal assistance to unregistered 
legal clinics, used an unregistered logo, and refused to 
report to the MOJ about its property and resources as 
required by Uzbek law.  (Comment: Even if true, the 
allegations are neither illegal nor a basis for liquidation 
under Uzbek law.  According to ABA/CEELI's Cooperative 
Agreement with USAID, property purchased with USG funding 
remains the property of the USG.  Therefore, ABA/CEELI has 
no property to report to MOJ.  End comment.)  Following less 
than 20 minutes of deliberation, the judge ruled to 
liquidate ABA/CEELI. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Comment: The speed with which the GOU ordered 
ABA/CEELI closed is remarkable, particularly in contrast to 
previous NGO closures, which have dragged on for months. 
ABA/CEELI was given less than 48 hours between being served 
notice to appear in court and being ordered to liquidate. 
In this case, the GOU skipped the intermediate steps of 
suspension and carrying out a criminal investigation and 
moved straight to liquidation, suggesting a possible new 
model for the future actions against other organizations. 
 
PURNELL