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C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 000890 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR SCA/CEN AND DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/31/2018 
TAGS: PHUM ECON ELAB KIRF PGOV PREL SOCI UZ
SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN: DAS KROL MEETS WITH CIVIL SOCIETY 
REPRESENTATIVES 
 
REF: A. TASHKENT 854 
     ¶B. TASHKENT 749 
     ¶C. TASHKENT 821 
     ¶D. TASHKENT 627 
     ¶E. TASHKENT 767 
     ¶F. TASHKENT 708 
     ¶G. TASHKENT 855 
 
Classified By: POLOFF R. FITZMAURICE FOR REASONS 1.4 (B, D) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: During a two-day visit to Uzbekistan on July 
24 - 25, Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central 
Asia George Krol participated in an Embassy roundtable with 
human rights activists and the Director of the Bible Society 
of Uzbekistan, and had separate meetings with two human 
rights activists from the Ferghana Valley. The meetings 
provided DAS Krol with the opportunity to discuss the current 
human rights environment and to hear more about 
socio-economic conditions in the country.  During a meeting 
with Religious Affairs Committee (RAC) Chairman Ortik 
Yusupov, DAS Krol inquired about the status of an exchange of 
letters with Ambassador-at-Large for Religious Freedom John 
Hanford; raised concerns about the harassment and 
imprisonment of members of religious minority groups; and 
asked why the RAC recently refused to allow the Bible Society 
to import a large shipment of Christian literature.  End 
summary. 
 
HUMAN RIGHTS ROUNDTABLE AT THE EMBASSY 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) At an Embassy roundtable on July 24, DAS Krol and the 
Charge discussed the current state of human rights in 
Uzbekistan with Free Farmers' party leader Nigara 
Khidoyatova, Ferghana-based activist Abdusalom Ergashev, 
Bukhara-based activist Shukhrat Ganiev, and Bible Society of 
Uzbekistan director Sergei Mitin.  Khidoyatova explained that 
her organization has worked since 2003 to protect the rights 
of farmers.  She argued that the agricultural sector has not 
been truly reformed since the Soviet era, as farmers are 
still required to grow set amounts of cotton and wheat to 
fulfill state orders, for which they are paid below market 
value.  Khidoyatova also raised the case of Sunshine 
Coalition leader Sanjar Umarov, whose health is reportedly 
deteriorating again in prison (ref A). 
 
¶3. (C) Ganiev, a lawyer by training, noted that Uzbekistan 
already has acceded to many international human rights 
agreements and adopted many progressive laws, but observed 
that the reforms are not always implemented.  He believed 
that President Karimov was not alone to blame for the 
country's stagnation, alleging that he is surrounded by 
advisors who still maintained a Soviet-era mentality and were 
resistant to political and economic reforms.  Ergashev raised 
similar criticisms, blaming the ignorance and poor training 
of officials for the country's human rights problems.  He 
observed that Uzbekistan's justice system was corrupt and 
judges lacked independence.  He argued that recent legal 
reforms like the death penalty abolition and the introduction 
of habeas corpus were mostly cosmetic. 
 
DIFFICULTIES FACED BY CHRISTIAN MINORITIES 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶4. (C) Mitin - director of the Bible Society of Uzbekistan, 
an interdenominational organization involved in the 
translation, publication, and distribution of Bibles and 
other Christian literature - argued that government officials 
are ignorant of religious minorities.  He observed that the 
number of registered Christian organizations has been 
decreasing in recent years, as authorities deregister some 
 
groups and refuse to register new ones.  According to Mitin, 
there are currently 60 Christian denominations active in 
Uzbekistan, only 20 of which are registered.  The other 
groups continue to assemble for worship, but live in constant 
fear of prosecution (Comment: It is illegal for unregistered 
religious organizations to congregate and members of such 
organizations continue to endure fines, detentions, and 
occasionally worse.  The government continues to target 
groups that appear to engage in proselytism, which is illegal 
under Uzbek law.  End comment.)  Mitin also observed that the 
state-controlled media has recently carried several items 
hostile to Christians minorities,  including a television 
documentary that accused several Christian denominations of 
using illegal means to attract new members, including 
offering money to recruits and using psychotropic drugs and 
hypnosis (ref B). 
 
¶5. (C) Mitin reported that the Religious Affairs Committee 
(RAC), which must approve the importation of any religious 
literature into the country, recently ordered the return of a 
large shipment of Christian literature that the Bible Society 
attempted to import into Uzbekistan in May.  The RAC claimed 
that the Bible Society had not adequately Informed them about 
the shipment, but Mitin believed it was because the shipment 
included 7,000 children's Bibles in Uzbek and Karakalpak, 
that the RAC might have suspected would be used in missionary 
activities (ref C). 
 
ACTIVISTS' VIEWS ON ENGAGEMENT WITH UZBEK GOVERNMENT 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶6. (C) All of the activists desired greater dialogue between 
the government and the West, but not all agreed on how this 
could be best accomplished.  Khidoyatova supported what she 
believed to be the approach of the European Union. 
Previously, she strongly favored imposing sanctions on 
Uzbekistan and isolating the Karimov regime, but she 
explained her views had changed recently, and that she now 
supported increased contact with the government.  However, 
she believed that the threat of sanctions should not be 
entirely removed, as she believed that it was this threat 
that encouraged the Uzbek government to continue dialogue 
with the West. 
 
¶7. (C) The other participants were less supportive of 
sanctions.  Ergashev believed that Uzbekistan was now at a 
crossroads as relations with Russia appeared to be worsening. 
 He believed that the government desired closer relations 
with the West again, and it was now up to the West to the 
make the most of this opening.  Through dialogue, Ganiev 
believed the U.S. could press Uzbekistan to fulfill its 
obligations under international human rights treaties and 
enforce its laws.  Ganiev also believed that the United 
States could serve as a mediator between the government and 
Uzbekistan's civil society.  Mitin also favored increased 
dialogue with the government. 
 
¶8.  (C) DAS Krol observed that the United States would like 
to take pragmatic steps to engage Uzbekistan society and 
government across the board in all areas -- not only on 
security and economic issues, but also on human rights.  He 
observed that the Uzbeks seemed willing to increase 
engagement, but noted that the government needed to take more 
concrete steps on human rights. 
 
NEW PHENOMENON IN LABOR MIGRATION 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (C) Ganiev observed that labor migration from Uzbekistan - 
caused by rampant unemployment and economic instability - 
continued to increase.  But he observed that many Uzbek labor 
 
migrants were now settling permanently abroad, mostly in 
Russia and Kazakhstan, and attempting to bring their families 
with them.  Previously, Uzbek labor migrants generally headed 
abroad for part of the year before returning home.  According 
to Ganiev, there were now villages almost entirely populated 
by Uzbeks in certain rural regions of Russia, especially in 
Kaliningrad and Saint Petersburg regions and in Siberia.  As 
far as Uzbekistan was concerned, Ganiev believed that the 
permanent settling abroad of Uzbek families was a negative 
development, as the country's economy has grown dependent on 
remittances that labor migrants send back to their families. 
(Comment: During his recent trip to Bukhara, Ganiev 
introduced poloff to a woman who works at an informational 
center for labor migrants, who told poloff much the same, 
septel.  End comment.) 
 
SEPARATE MEETINGS WITH FERGHANA VALLEY ACTIVISTS 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶10. (C) DAS Krol also met separately with two human rights 
defenders from the Ferghana Valley.  On July 24, DAS Krol and 
the Charge met with Margilan-based activist Mutabar 
Tojiboyeva, who was released from prison on medical grounds 
during Assistant Secretary Richard Boucher's visit to 
Uzbekistan in June (ref D).  She was not amnestied and 
remains under a three-year suspended sentence.  Tojiboyeva - 
who appears to suffer from a serious, though still not 
completely diagnosed, illness (ref E) - explained to Krol 
that authorities had recently granted her permission to 
travel to Tashkent to visit the Tashkent Oncological Hospital 
for a diagnosis and treatment.  Tojiboyeva had been 
previously denied permission to travel to Tashkent earlier in 
July to attend recent national days at the U.S. and French 
Embassies.  She added that authorities have still not 
provided her permission to seek treatment abroad. 
 
¶11. (C) After she completes her treatment, Tojiboyeva said 
that she would continue her human rights work, including 
writing a book entitled "Prisoner of Torture Island."  While 
she observed that conditions at her prison had improved over 
time, Tojiboyeva noted that inmates were not provided with 
adequate food and inmates with tuberculosis and other 
illnesses were not segregated.  When inquired about her views 
on sanctions, Tojiboyeva replied that she did not support 
them because she believed they would only increase the 
suffering of the Uzbek people.  Instead, she favored 
additional International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) 
prison visits. 
 
¶12. (C) On July 25, DAS Krol met with Andijon-based human 
rights activist and doctor Gulbahor Turaeva, who was 
sentenced to three years' probation last year on 
politically-motivated charges and was amnestied in February 
¶2008.  Turaeva complained that Andijon authorities continued 
to harass her family since her amnesty.  Both Turaeva and her 
husband have not been able to find reliable work, which she 
believes is due to her human rights activism, and she is now 
having difficulty supporting her five children (Comment: 
Poloff recently submitted a request for assistance on 
Turaeva's behalf through the Global Defender's Fund.  End 
comment.) 
 
¶13. (C) Turaeva also complained that residents of Andijon 
Province suffered from deficits of electricity, gas, and 
water.  In addition, she alleged that the Uzbek medical 
system was riddled with corruption, with doctors even 
demanding payment for providing treatment to 
tuberculosis-sufferers.  She also accused authorities of 
deliberately underreporting infant mortality levels, 
threatening to fine mothers who have more than two children, 
and performing medically unnecessary hysterectomies on women 
 
without their knowledge or consent  (Comment: Many of 
Turaeva's allegations of abuses in Uzbekistan's medical 
system are not new and have been made by her and others 
before.  End comment.) 
 
MEETING WITH RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN YUSUPOV 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
¶14. (C) On July 25, DAS Krol met with Religious Affairs 
Committee (RAC) Chairman Ortiq Yusupov and inquired about the 
status of a promised exchange of letters with 
Ambassador-at-Large for Religious Freedom John Hanford on 
concrete steps the government could take to improve religious 
freedom in Uzbekistan (ref F).  Yusupov replied that the 
proposals in Hanford's letter were still being "reviewed and 
studied."  He said that not all of the letter's 
recommendations could be accepted as they did not correspond 
with "the mentality of the people" and the "internal 
situation in the country."  Yusupov explained that a proposal 
to create a commission to review for amnesty cases of 
individuals convicted on religious extremism charges was 
"being reviewed," but added that the government had no 
intention of eliminating fines for individuals who violated 
the 1998 Religion Law.  Yusupov stressed that Law's penalties 
were one of the government's few tools for maintaining 
harmony between the country's different religious 
confessions.  MFA U.S. Affairs Chief Ismat Fayzullaev, who 
was also attending the meeting, interjected that Hanford's 
letter was being "deeply reviewed."  He added that Uzbek 
Ambassador to the United States Komilov had been instructed 
to explain the government's position in Washington and 
stressed that a "mutual position" could be agreed upon before 
September. 
 
¶15. (C) DAS Krol raised concern over the harassment of 
religious minorities, especially Pentecostals and Jehovah's 
Witnesses, and the continued imprisonment of Pentecostal 
Pastor Dmitry Shestakov and Jehovah's Witnesses Irfan Hamidov 
and Olim Turayev.  Yusupov responded that all religious 
organizations are treated equally and that no individuals 
have been imprisoned solely for their religious activity. 
Referring specifically to Shestakov, Yusupov said that the 
Pastor would not be imprisoned if he had not broken the law, 
but added that authorities would "study the issue further." 
 
¶16. (C) DAS Krol also inquired why the RAC had recently 
rejected the Bible Society's shipment of Christian literature 
(ref B).  Yusupov replied that the Bible Society had "done 
many good things" before, but lately had made "mistakes."  He 
repeated accusations made in a June 30 letter, including that 
the Bible Society had not properly informed the RAC of the 
shipment.  However, Yusupov also added that the Bible Society 
could not import literature "without restriction," and said 
that the main issue was the "language and amount of 
literature" (Comment: Yusupov's words seem to confirm Mitin's 
allegation that the RAC rejected the literature shipment 
because it contained a large number of Bibles in Uzbek and 
Karakalpak that could be used for missionary activities.  End 
comment.)  Yusupov further elaborated that if the Bible 
Society had informed the RAC about the literature shipment in 
advance, including the amount of literature that would go to 
each denomination, then it would have no problems importing 
literature. 
 
 
¶17. (C) Yusupov added that it was the responsibility of the 
RAC to inspect all imported literature for "extremist 
content."  When DAS Krol asked whether the RAC inspected 
Bibles for "extremist content," Yusupov asserted that the RAC 
inspected all literature, including Bibles and Korans.  He 
claimed that the RAC recently inspected a shipment of 5,000 
 
Korans and had discovered extremist literature hidden inside. 
 
 
¶18. (C) DAS Krol stressed with Yusupov that protecting 
society from the threat of extremism and promoting religious 
freedom should not be seen as mutually exclusive goals. 
Instead, he noted that it was in the government's best 
interest to find a way to balance its legitimate security 
concerns with its constitutional guarantee of religious 
freedom.  DAS Krol observed that religious minorities also 
have been persecuted in the United States, but explained that 
the United States government has sought to protect the right 
of individuals to choose their religion, even if it went 
against the prejudices of the majority.  DAS Krol underscored 
that concluding an exchange of letters with Hanford would be 
an important step forward in holding a constructive dialogue 
on religious freedom between our two countries. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶19. (C) The human rights roundtable and separate meetings 
with Ferghana Valley-based human rights activists provided 
DAS Krol with the opportunity to discuss the human rights 
environment in Uzbekistan and hear more about the current 
socio-economic conditions in different regions of the 
country.  As some of the activists noted, the Uzbek 
government continues to ratify international agreements on 
human rights and adopt progressive national laws, but these 
have yet to be fully implemented.  We also agree with those 
who argued that the key to progress is to seize upon the 
current warming trend in relations to pursue greater dialogue 
on human rights and to provide officials with greater 
training opportunities.  Ganiev's observation that greater 
numbers of Uzbek labor migrants are deciding to settle 
permanently abroad is especially worthy of further attention. 
 
¶20. (C) Yusupov and Fayzullaev's explanation on the current 
status of Hanford's letter largely tracks with what President 
Karimov told the Ambassador on July 23 (ref G).  We believe 
the government is serious about finalizing an exchange of 
letters before September 1, and we intend to approach the MFA 
soon with an amended version of Hanford's letter, which takes 
into consideration some of the issues raised by President 
Karimov and other officials. 
 
¶21. (U) DAS George Krol cleared this telegram. 
BUTCHER