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Viewing cable 09TASHKENT22, UZBEKISTAN: TIP PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN CONTINUES;

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
09TASHKENT22 2009-01-07 12:07 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Tashkent
VZCZCXRO4412
RR RUEHDBU RUEHIK RUEHLN RUEHPOD RUEHSK RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHNT #0022/01 0071202
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 071207Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY TASHKENT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0206
INFO CIS COLLECTIVE
NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0054
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0078
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0070
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 0067
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 0070
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0078
RUEHNT/AMEMBASSY TASHKENT
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 0054
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 TASHKENT 000022 
 
SIPDIS SIPDIS 
DEPT FOR SCA, DRL, AND G/TIP 
G/TIP FOR MEGAN HALL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM ECON ELAB KCRM KTIP KWMN PGOV PREL SOCI KZ RS UZ
SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN: TIP PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN CONTINUES; 
CONVICTIONS REPORTED 
 
REF: a) 08 TASHKENT 1380; 08 TASHKENT 987; 08 TASHKENT 1227 
 
1.  (U) Summary: In the past few months, the government has 
continued a wide-ranging public awareness campaign on 
trafficking-in-persons (TIP) in the government-controlled mass 
media (ref A and B).  Conducting a relatively non-extensive survey, 
poloff uncovered more than 70 separate TIP-related stories which 
appeared on Uzbek television and in state-controlled newspapers and 
websites between approximately mid-September and the end of 
December.  The stories, which were aimed at raising the awareness 
of Uzbek citizens about the dangers of trafficking-in-persons, 
reported convictions of alleged traffickers, efforts by government 
bodies to counter human trafficking and assist victims, and 
specific cases of individuals trafficked for both labor and sexual 
exploitations.  Presumably, more stories ran in the 
state-controlled media that poloff did not stumble across.  In 
addition, poloff has observed TIP advertisements on Uzbek 
television featuring emergency hotline numbers operated by 
independent anti-TIP NGOs and a prominently displayed billboard on 
TIP that has recently appeared in downtown Tashkent.  The TIP 
public awareness campaign has been remarked upon by several 
observers and appears to have increased TIP awareness  among Uzbek 
citizens.  Considering the extreme reluctance of state-controlled 
media to run any stories that show Uzbekistan in a negative light, 
the government's TIP public awareness campaign is nothing less than 
extraordinary.  End summary. 
 
 
 
REPORTS ON RECENT TIP-RELATED CONVICTIONS 
 
----------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
2.  (U) Over the past several months, the state-controlled media 
reported that at least 12 alleged traffickers have been convicted 
and imprisoned for TIP-related offences.  There was a noticeable 
increase in the number of convictions reported after the passage of 
criminal code amendments in September which strengthened penalties 
against traffickers.  Some of the media reports did not provide 
full information about the cases, such as name of convicted 
traffickers or the length of their sentences.  Presumably, there 
were additional reports of convictions in the local media that 
poloff did not see, as well as convictions that were not reported 
in the media. 
 
 
 
3.  (U) On December 23, the Uzbek National News Agency website 
reported that Nukus-resident Samandar Eshboyev was recently 
convicted of trafficking 13 individuals abroad for labor 
exploitation.  The individuals reportedly had their passports 
seized and were forced to work at construction sites and live in 
poor conditions. 
 
 
 
4.  (U) On November 20, the state-controlled Russian-language 
Norodnoye Slovo newspaper, as well its Uzbek-language equivalent 
Khalq Sozi, reported that Nukus resident Nurlan Bakimbetov was 
sentenced to five years' imprisonment for trafficking Uzbek 
citizens to Kazakhstan for the purpose of labor exploitation.  He 
was also ordered to pay 100,000 soums (73 dollars) in damages to 
each victim.  Bakimbetov reportedly collaborated with a Kazakh 
accomplice, Dostom, to traffic 14 men to Kazakhstan.  The article 
reported that the men were forced to work under poor conditions and 
hand their salaries over to Bakimbetov, who earned 2 million soums 
(1,500 dollars) from the scheme. 
 
 
 
5.  (U) On November 13, the state-controlled Kuch Aolatda newspaper 
 
TASHKENT 00000022  002 OF 006 
 
 
 
reported that a court in Tashkent sentenced an unnamed resident of 
Surkhundarya province to six years' imprisonment for human 
trafficking. 
 
 
 
6.  (U) On October 9, the state-controlled Diyonat newspaper 
reported that Namangan resident Ayubkhon Narsriddinov was 
imprisoned for trafficking seven Namangan residents to Kazakhstan 
for the purpose of labor exploitation.  The report does not mention 
the length of Nasriddinov's sentence.  The individuals were 
reportedly forced to work for six months in Kazakhstan under poor 
conditions and without pay. 
 
 
 
7.  (U) On October 8, the Russian Regnum news agency reported that 
the Chilonzor district criminal court in Tashkent convicted Ilhom 
Yusupov and three female accomplices of trafficking 20 women from 
Uzbekistan to Kazakhstan and sentenced them to between 10 to 14 
years' imprisonment under criminal code article 135 (human 
trafficking). According to the article, the criminal group received 
300,000 soums (230 dollars) from their Kazakhstani accomplices for 
each woman that was trafficked (ref C). 
 
 
 
8.  (U) The Russian news agency Regnum reported on September 19 
that Ikrom Teshaboyev was sentenced by a court in Namangan 
province's Chortoq district to five years' imprisonment for human 
trafficking.  Teshaboyev had reportedly lured Uzbek citizens to 
Russia with promises of finding work in Saint Petersburg that paid 
between 500 to 1,000 dollars a month.  Instead, the victims were 
reportedly forced to work under poor conditions after Teshaboyev 
seized their passports and stole about 6,000 dollars in wages from 
them.  The court also ruled that Teshaboyev should pay 7,840,000 
soums (about 6,000 dollars) in damages to the victims.  The article 
specifically noted that Teshaboyev had been convicted under the new 
criminal code amendments. 
 
 
 
9.  (U) On September 19, Uzbekistan's First Television Channel 
reported that two women from the Ferghana Valley were recently 
imprisoned for trafficking in persons.  One of the women, Sanobar 
Abdullayeva from Ferghana City, was sentenced to three years' 
imprisonment for trafficking two Uzbek women to Dubai for sexual 
exploitation.  The other woman, Ziyoda Sotvoldiyeva from Kokand, 
was imprisoned for two years for trafficking Uzbek women abroad for 
sexual exploitation (the destination was not reported).  The report 
also included interviews with three of the victims, whose 
identities were protected.  The Ferghana City prosecutor, Bobur 
Dehqunov, also warned viewers not to fall victim to traffickers. 
 
 
 
10.  (U) On August 15, the Khalq Sozi newspaper reported that an 
unnamed resident of Shakhrihon district of Andijon province was 
convicted of human trafficking. 
 
 
 
REPORTS ON TIP-RELATED TRIALS AND ARRESTS 
 
----------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
11.  (U) The state-controlled press also reported on TIP-related 
arrests and trials whose results are currently unknown.  On 
December 16, the Narodnoye Slovo newspaper reported that criminal 
charges had been brought against "a number of people" for human 
trafficking in Khorezm province.  The unnamed individuals were 
 
TASHKENT 00000022  003 OF 006 
 
 
 
accused of trafficking men to Kazakhstan for labor exploitation and 
women to Kazakhstan and India for sexual exploitation. 
 
 
 
12.  (U) On December 2, the Khalq Sozi newspaper reported that 
Uzbek law enforcement had arrested "a group of three men and one 
woman" for trafficking two Uzbek women into Kazakhstan for sexual 
exploitation.  The group was reportedly paid 30,000 Kazakh tenge 
(250 dollars) for each victim.  Interestingly enough, the story 
appears to have been first reported by the independent Uznews.net 
website (operated by an exiled Uzbek independent journalist) on 
December 1.  The Uznews.net article reported that one of the group, 
Batyr, identified victims, who were then taken on "first dates" to 
a local cafe in Tashkent by another accomplice, a 25-year old man 
named Faruh.  There another accomplice, a 38-year old woman named 
Hurshida, drugged the victims by giving them soft drinks mixed with 
psychotropic agents.  The gang then reportedly drove the victims to 
the border with Kazakhstan, where another accomplice named Ahmed 
brought them across the border and sold them to brothels in 
Kazakhstan (Note: The Kazakh border is only a 20-minute drive from 
downtown Tashkent.  End note.)  The article quoted MVD investigator 
Alisher Kamalov as stating that authorities had so far identified 
eight victims, but suspected more might have been trafficked. 
Kamalov also reported that the investigation was hampered by the 
unwillingness of victims to cooperate with the police, as they 
feared being condemned as prostitutes by friends and family and 
feared retaliation by the traffickers. 
 
 
 
13.  (U) On November 14, the Narodnoye Slovo newspaper reported 
that criminal cases have been recently launched against 19 
suspected human traffickers in Surkhundarya province. 
 
 
 
14.  (U) On November 8, the state-controlled Jamiyat newspaper 
carried an article by Qahramon Kholmurodov, a judge from Jizzakh 
province, who reported that three individuals had recently been put 
on trial in his province for trafficking residents to Kazakhstan 
for the purpose of labor exploitation. 
 
 
 
REPORTS ON GOVERNMENT ANTI-TIP EFFORTS 
 
-------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
15.  (U) Many of the TIP-related programs and articles in the 
state-controlled media reported on government efforts to combat TIP 
and raise awareness among ordinary Uzbeks about the dangers of 
being trafficked for both labor and sexual exploitation.  Several 
of the articles reported on national and provincial level officials 
holding  roundtables on combating trafficking, assisting victims, 
and conducting public awareness campaigns in all of Uzbekistan's 
provinces.  Other articles focused on the specifics of individual 
TIP cases.  Almost all of the articles and programs warned citizens 
about the dangers of becoming victims.  Below is just a sample of 
the more interesting articles. 
 
 
 
16.  (U) On December 25, the state-controlled Ozbekistan Ovozi 
newspaper reported that the national interagency commission to 
fight human trafficking recently held a meeting at the Ministry of 
Interior to discuss the efforts of provincial-level anti-TIP 
commissions in 2008.  Under an anti-TIP National Action Plan 
adopted by the government in July, the interagency commission is 
required to meet at least quarterly to address trafficking issues 
and oversee implementation of national and regional activities to 
 
TASHKENT 00000022  004 OF 006 
 
 
 
raise awareness, protect victims, and modify legislation. 
 
 
 
17.  (U) On December 20, Uzbek Television First Channel broadcasted 
a program about a former police major from Bukhara province, Furqat 
Kamoliddinov, who allegedly trafficked 28 persons from his region 
to Russia for labor exploitation.  The program also showed street 
billboards and posters at airports warning about human trafficking, 
and also explained procedures about how citizens can find legal 
employment abroad. 
 
 
 
18.  (U) On December 4, the state-controlled XXI Asr newspaper 
reported that Bahodir Yangiboyev, the head of the  anti-TIP 
commission in Uzbekistan's Autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan, 
reported that human trafficking was on the rise in Karakalpakstan, 
noting an increase in the number of TIP-related criminal cases in 
2008.  Yangiboyev also criticized the performance of police on the 
issue.  On September 10, Tashkent's state-controlled Kuch Adolatda 
newspaper also reported that the number of human trafficking cases 
in Uzbekistan was increasing.  The articles are particularly 
interesting as state-controlled newspapers almost never report 
negative information about Uzbekistan. 
 
 
 
19.  (U) On November 26, the state-controlled Mahalla newspaper 
reported that officials conducted a TIP-related public awareness 
campaign in Khorezm province, which involved law enforcement 
officials visiting mahallas (neighborhoods), education 
establishments, private companies and public organizations to warn 
locals about the dangers of TIP. 
 
 
 
20.  (U) On November 14, the Jamiyat newspaper carried an interview 
with Foreign Labor Migration Agency head Gafurjon Usmonov, who 
warned readers about falling victim to human traffickers and 
explained how his agency could assist Uzbeks find legal employment 
abroad, including in South Korea, Russia, and Poland. 
 
 
 
21.  (U) On November 13, the state-controlled Narodnoye Slovo 
newspaper reported that the Prosecutor General's Office, the 
Women's Committee, the national association of NGOs, and UNDP held 
a seminar in Tashkent to discuss the role of NGOs in fighting human 
trafficking and assisting victims. 
 
 
 
22.  (U) On September 29, the Jahon news agency reported that the 
National Academic Drama Theater of Uzbekistan in Tashkent staged a 
play entitled "Bitter Repentance," which focused on the plight of 
TIP victims.  The play was written by two local playwrights, T. 
Makhmudov and D. Makhmudova, who were assisted by the Tashkent City 
Prosecutor's office and the Tashkent City Criminal Court. 
 
 
 
TIP-RELATED TV ADVERTISEMENTS AND BILLBOARDS 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
23.  (U) Poloff also has observed TIP-related commercials on Uzbek 
television.  While waiting for a long-delayed flight at the Nukus 
airport in Karakalpakstan in November, poloff saw TIP-related 
commercials repeatedly aired on Uzbek television during commercial 
breaks.  The advertisements warned viewers about the dangers of 
 
TASHKENT 00000022  005 OF 006 
 
 
 
becoming victims of trafficking for both sexual and labor 
exploitation and displayed emergency hotline numbers in every 
province operated by IOM's partner NGOs.  The showing of the 
commercials in Karakalpakstan is especially noteworthy, as the 
region is Uzbekistan's poorest and is where many of the country's 
TIP victims originate.  Regular flights also leave directly from 
Nukus to Moscow, which presumably include some TIP victims. 
 
 
 
24.  (U) While driving recently along Navoi street, one of 
Tashkent's biggest thoroughfares, poloff noticed a rather large 
billboard warning local residents about TIP that had been recently 
erected.  Previously, Emboffs also have noted TIP-related posters 
at the Tashkent airport and other locations in the city. 
 
 
 
PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN APPEARS TO BE EFFECTIVE 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
 
 
25.  (U) Several international observers working on human rights 
issues in Uzbekistan have noticed and remarked upon the 
government's anti-TIP campaign to poloff over the past few months. 
For example, UNDP Deputy Director Kyoko Postil remarked that she 
had never seen the government engage in such a wide-ranging human 
rights-related campaign before and speculated that local 
journalists must have been given free reign to report on the issue, 
which they do not enjoy on nearly any other human rights issue 
(though the press this fall also appears to have more freedom to 
write on child labor as well).  European diplomats have commented 
that they wish they could see the same level of engagement the 
government has displayed on TIP on other human rights-related 
issues. 
 
 
 
26.  (U) The government's public awareness campaign appears to be 
effective in raising the awareness of ordinary Uzbek citizens about 
the dangers of TIP.  Several ordinary Uzbeks have commented on the 
campaign to poloff and have demonstrated a thorough grasp of the 
issue.  The somewhat awkward Russian-language term used for human 
trafficking, "torgovli ludmi" (literally "trade in people"), which, 
when previously used by poloff, used to elicit blank stares from 
many Uzbeks, appears to have more thoroughly penetrated the local 
lexicon this year.  Local human rights activists also have taken 
note of the campaign, and there has been a marked increase in their 
reporting on TIP, an issue which they had largely ignored before 
this year. 
 
 
 
COMMENT 
 
------- 
 
 
 
27.  (U) Considering the extreme reluctance of state-controlled 
media to run stories that show Uzbekistan in anything less than an 
absolutely glowing light, the government's recent TIP public 
awareness campaign, which has included articles admitting that 
human trafficking is a growing problem in Uzbekistan and noting 
official shortcomings, is nothing less than extraordinary. 
Especially noteworthy is the sheer number and variety of media 
outlets involved, including Uzbek television and state-controlled 
websites, and newspapers in every province of Uzbekistan.  The 
articles also demonstrate an increase in the number of TIP-related 
convictions since the adoption of new criminal code amendments in 
September and describe other anti-TIP efforts undertaken by the 
 
TASHKENT 00000022  006 OF 006 
 
 
 
government, some of which, such as the play conducted by the 
National Academic Drama Theater of Uzbekistan, are truly quite 
inventive.  The public awareness campaign already appears to have 
had some impact on raising the awareness of Uzbek citizens about 
the dangers of TIP and how to avoid becoming victims, which 
hopefully will result in their increased vigilance and a decrease 
in the number of TIP cases in the future.  As noted by other 
foreign diplomats, if only we could get the government to engage so 
thoroughly on other human rights-related issues as it has on TIP, 
we would be well on our way to improving human rights in the 
country.  Nevertheless, most Uzbeks who become TIP victims are 
seeking better economic prospects abroad, and until economic 
conditions improve, especially in the country's more remote rural 
regions like Karakalpakstan and Surkhundarya province, TIP is 
likely to remain an issue in Uzbekistan. 
NORLAND 
 
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