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RR RUEHDE
DE RUEHNT #0157/01 0370517
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 060517Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY TASHKENT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9184
INFO RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI 0155
RUEHAH/AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT 3717
RUEHTA/AMEMBASSY ASTANA 9927
RUEHEK/AMEMBASSY BISHKEK 4331
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 0189
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RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 0209
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 3918
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 2186
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 0273
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0863
RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI 0171
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 2312
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TASHKENT 000157 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR SCA/CEN BRIAN RORAFF; G/TIP FOR JENNIFER DONNELLY, 
MEGAN HALL, AND SHEREEN FARAJ; INL FOR ANDREW BUHLER AND 
NORIS BALABANIAN 
ABU DHABI FOR DELARAM CAVEY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KCRM KWMN AE UZ
SUBJECT: STATE-CONTROLLED PAPER RUNS FULL-PAGE HUMAN 
TRAFFICKING STORY 
 
Sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect accordingly. 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  On February 1 a full-page article 
highlighting trafficking-in-persons appeared in the Pravda 
Vostoka, one of three major newspapers in Uzbekistan.  The 
prominent placement and lengthy detail of the article in a 
widely circulated, state-controlled publication is noteworthy 
and a visible warning to unsuspecting Uzbeks about the risks 
of trafficking-in-persons.  Significantly, the article also 
finishes with detailed information about the conviction and 
sentencing of specific offenders, which may be a response to 
consistent pressure from post as well as a Department visitor 
to demonstrate progress on prosecution.  Uzbekistan does not 
yet have comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation, but 
there are existing laws it can and does use to punish 
offenders, and a relevant draft law has now been submitted to 
the parliament for consideration.  End summary. 
 
Full-Page Article 
----------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) On February 1, a full page article highlighting a 
trafficking-in-persons racket ran in the Pravda Vostoka 
(Truth of the East), one of three major newspapers in 
Uzbekistan.  The widely circulated, five-time weekly paper 
is, like all media in Uzbekistan, state-controlled.  LES 
Political Specialist noted the article appeared as a 2,500 
word feature on page 3, a prominent space usually reserved 
for important current events the Government of Uzbekistan 
wants to highlight.  The article ran at a time when post is 
compiling information, including official requests for 
meetings, for use in the annual Trafficking-in-Persons 
Report. 
 
Prevention: Warning to the Unsuspecting 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) The story leads off with information about an arrest 
at the Tashkent Airport, where a young woman bound for the 
Emirates discovered she was expected to be a sex worker 
rather than a waitress.  It described how the accused 
traffickers received USD 300 for each young woman they sent 
to the United Arab Emirates from a Dubai-based Uzbek woman 
named Iroda Kayumova.  The article notes the trafficking ring 
had a fixer who was able to quickly obtain necessary travel 
documents for outbound women, and it noted that he could only 
have delivered these materials "with the right contacts at 
the right agencies."  This is a frank admission that 
corruption contributes to trafficking since Uzbek citizens 
need a passport and an exit clearance -- in addition to a 
visa -- to travel to the Emirates.  In this case, the article 
cited the trafficker's arrogance as her undoing, and she 
reportedly told an outbound victim that "for girls like you, 
jobs are always available, and you will work at the brothels 
until you pay back our expenses."  Upon hearing this, the 
would-be victim resisted and a scuffle ensued, which prompted 
police and security forces to intervene and conduct an 
investigation. 
 
Prosecution 
----------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Significantly, the article concluded with an 
analysis of what happened to the accused upon conclusion of a 
criminal case.  The document fixer was sentenced to five 
years and three months imprisonment; a recidivist involved in 
recruiting girls in the Samarqand Region received a six-year 
sentence; another recruiter also received five years and 
 
TASHKENT 00000157  002 OF 002 
 
 
three months behind bars, although as a first-time offender 
she was given amnesty (common practice in Uzbekistan); and 
Iroda Kayumova was declared a wanted person.  While the 
mention of a trafficking bust in the Uzbek press is not 
unheard of, this is the first article we are aware of that 
provided detailed information about the outcome of the 
criminal case. 
 
¶5. (SBU) While Uzbekistan has not yet passed comprehensive 
anti-trafficking-in-persons legislation, this case clearly 
demonstrates that there are existing statutes in Uzbekistan 
that can be applied to trafficking-in-persons offenses.  In 
this case, the accused were found guilty under Chapter Six, 
Article 135 of the Uzbek Criminal Code, which addresses "the 
recruitment of people for exploitation."  The statute 
specifically notes that such offenses involve fraud and can 
include "sexual or other kinds of exploitation."  The statute 
specifies that if the fraud involves removing persons from 
the territory of Uzbekistan, the punishment is five - eight 
years imprisonment.  This seems consistent with the sentences 
meted out in this published story.  Also, the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs informed post that a draft anti-trafficking 
law was recently submitted to the lower house of the 
Parliament (Oliy Majlis), and is expected to work its way 
through the Senate and become law during the first half of 
the year. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) The Government of Uzbekistan was angry about last 
year's Tier 3 assessment, but we have nonetheless 
consistently heard from key nongovernmental organization 
contacts since then that awareness and sensitivity among law 
enforcement officials is steadily increasing.  A visitor from 
G/TIP last fall -- the first in several years -- met with the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and emphasized the Department's 
interest in monitoring convictions; this prominent article 
may reflect an attempt by the Government of Uzbekistan to 
highlight its efforts on this front.  Post and G/TIP have 
also repeatedly stressed the importance of comprehensive 
anti-trafficking legislation to international observers, and 
the submission of such a law to the parliament, albeit after 
many promises, is a positive step.  While the Government of 
Uzbekistan maintains that such legislation is being done out 
of concern for its people and not because the U.S. told it to 
do so, it is an area in which our mutual interests converge. 
 
NORLAND