VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHNT #0671/01 1651014
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 131014Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY TASHKENT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9792
INFO RUEHAH/AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT 4041
RUEHTA/AMEMBASSY ASTANA 0254
RUEHEK/AMEMBASSY BISHKEK 4656
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 0524
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 0178
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 0538
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 4250
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 2539
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 0563
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1198
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 1848
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1242
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 2515
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC 0108

UNCLAS TASHKENT 000671 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR SCA/CEN AND DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM KDEM KIRF OSCE PGOV PREL UZ
SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN: EMBASSY INPUT FOR OSCE HUMAN DIMENSION 
MEETING 
 
REF: STATE 60838 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED -- PLEASE HANDLE ACCORDINGLY 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Per reftel request on the Organization for 
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Human Dimension 
Implementation Meeting (HDIM) in Warsaw (scheduled for 
September 29 - October 10), we are providing the following 
input for the pre-HDIM demarche to the Uzbek government.  We 
would like the pre-HDIM demarche to commend the Uzbek 
government for the modest steps it has taken in 2008 to 
improve human rights - including reaching agreement with the 
ICRC on restarting prison visits, passing a new 
anti-trafficking law, obtaining parliamentary ratification of 
ILO conventions on child labor, and releasing several 
political prisoners - because we believe it will encourage 
the government to further implement these reforms before the 
HDIM convenes.  We also want to use the pre-HDIM demarche as 
a tool to urge progress on specific human rights issues, 
including granting accreditation to the Human Rights Watch 
director in Tashkent and allowing the return of some of the 
non-governmental organizations and media that were forced to 
depart Uzbekistan following the 2005 Andijon events.  Lastly, 
we would like to reaffirm our willingness to cooperate with 
the Uzbek government on human rights projects, including 
providing training to law enforcement officials on 
implementing the new habeas corpus law and using appropriate 
crowd-control tactics.  End summary. 
 
BEGIN DRAFT DEMARCHE TEXT: 
 
¶2. (SBU) We commend the government of Uzbekistan for taking 
concrete steps to improve human rights in 2008, including: 
adopting legislation to abolish the death penalty and to 
implement habeas corpus; granting the International Committee 
of the Red Cross (ICRC) access to prisons; passing anti-human 
trafficking legislation that increases protections for 
victims; obtaining parliamentary ratification of two ILO 
conventions on child labor; continuing to make progress on 
addressing the UN Special Rapporteur for Torture's 
recommendations from 2003; and releasing several political 
prisoners, including most recently human rights activist 
Mutabar Tojiboyeva. 
 
¶3. (SBU) We urge the government to continue its positive 
momentum on reform by fully implementing steps it has already 
partially taken, including by: continuing to grant ICRC 
access to Uzbek prisons in line with the organization's 
international modalities and working with the ICRC to improve 
prison conditions and to provide training for law enforcement 
officials; passing criminal code amendments which will 
strengthen penalties against alleged human traffickers; 
allowing international monitors to conduct an objective 
assessment of the use of child labor during the fall cotton 
harvest (Comment: which is likely to show that the extent of 
child labor in Uzbekistan is less than what some 
non-government organizations have claimed.  End comment.); 
releasing additional political prisoners, including those 
individuals that both the United States and EU countries have 
raised privately with government officials; and continuing 
our dialogue on improving religious freedom.  In addition, we 
ask the Uzbek government to revive its commission that 
operated from 2004 - 2006, which reviewed the cases of 
individuals sentenced to prison for membership in banned 
religious organizations, and which reportedly resulted in 
over a thousand individuals being released from prison and 
reintegrated into society.  We strongly believe that the 
reintegration of such individuals into Uzbek society is in 
the best long-term interests of both Uzbekistan and the 
United States. 
 
¶4. (SBU) At the same time, we also express our concern over 
some negative steps on human rights the government has taken 
in 2008.  We ask that the government reconsider its decision 
to deny accreditation to the current Human Rights Watch 
director in Tashkent, Igor Vorontsov.  We also request that 
the government cease its harassment of certain minority 
religious congregations and to cease the extradition of 
individuals back to Uzbekistan who have sought political 
asylum abroad.  Furthermore, we call on the government to 
begin to allow the return of non-governmental organizations 
(NGOs) and media which were forced to depart the country 
after the 2005 Andijon events.  Many of these NGOs were 
positively contributing to Uzbekistan's economic and social 
development prior to their departure from the country.  In 
addition, we believe that human rights organizations and 
media can play an important role in verifying and publicizing 
to the international community the recent positive steps that 
the Uzbek government has taken on human rights. 
 
¶5. (SBU) In addition, the United States stands ready to 
cooperate with Uzbekistan on human rights programs.  We 
reiterate our interest in contributing to the series of human 
rights-related events the government has planned for 2008, as 
outlined by President Karimov in his recent decree 
recognizing the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration 
of Human Rights.  We are ready to provide training for law 
enforcement officials (including judges and prosecutors) on 
Uzbekistan's new habeas corpus law and to send Uzbek 
Parliamentarians, government officials, and religious leaders 
to the United States on exchange programs.  We also are 
prepared to send U.S. government officials and international 
experts to attend conferences on human rights-related topics 
in Uzbekistan, including on religion.  In regards to the 2005 
Andijon events, we are interested in exploring the 
possibility of providing training to Uzbek law enforcement 
officials on appropriate crowd control tactics, so as to 
prevent a similar tragedy from ever happening again. 
 
¶6. (SBU) The United States recognizes that the Uzbek 
government has taken steps to improve human rights in 2008. 
Between now and when the HDIM meets in late September, if 
Uzbekistan acts to fully implement these reforms, and also 
addresses some of our other concerns on human rights, the 
United States will have much positive news to report about 
Uzbekistan at the HDIM.  The United States also stands 
willing to facilitate this process by providing assistance on 
human rights-related projects. 
NORLAND