VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHNT #0563/01 1121259
ZNR UUUUU ZZH (CCY AD57D1C9 TOQ7790-695)
R 221304Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY TASHKENT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0795
INFO CIS COLLECTIVE
NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHMFITT/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEHNT/AMEMBASSY TASHKENT

UNCLAS TASHKENT 000563 
 
SIPDIS 
 
C O R R E C T E D COPY ADDED ADDEE 
G/TIP FOR MEGAN HALL 
SCA FOR BRIAN RORAFF AND JESSICA MAZZONE 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KTIP KCRM KWMN UZ
SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN:  TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS PRESS BLITZ CONTINUES 
 
 ¶1. (U) Summary:  Regular trafficking in persons 
(TIP) articles continue to be published in the state-controlled 
press, and public service announcements are prevalent in all forms 
of mass media.  Uzbekistan's extensive efforts on raising public 
awareness and highlighting its powerful new criminal code 
demonstrate that it remains serious about combating the issue.  The 
recently established national inter-agency commission also lashed 
out at two of its provincial-level counterparts for not doing 
enough, a sign that the new coordinating body is taking its mission 
seriously.  End summary. 
 
This Message is Brought to You by the Uzbek Government 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶2. (U) On his April 22 commute to work, poloff noticed a radio 
advertisement in Tashkent warning citizens against the dangers of 
trafficking in persons.  Resisting the urge that Uzbek officials 
sometimes have to advise citizens to stay put and that the grass is 
not greener abroad, this radio announcement informed Uzbeks that 
their government is available to help them if they get into trouble 
overseas.  It noted that, in the event of trouble or if they become 
victims of TIP, they should "seek help at the nearest Embassy or 
Consulate of Uzbekistan."  It proceeded to note that the Government 
of Uzbekistan can facilitate any necessary travel documents and 
help make arrangements to return home.  At that moment, poloff 
looked out the window and noticed one of many full-size billboards 
on the streets of Tashkent warning against the dangers of TIP.  The 
taxi driver commented "yes, these ads about trafficking in persons 
have been everywhere lately, and I see them at home on television, 
too."  (Note:  The number of reported TIP cases is up and yet the 
main local anti-TIP NGO Istiqbolli Avlod noted it is serving fewer 
numbers of victims, which it attributed to increasing public 
willingness to turn to the government for help.  Radio promotions 
such as described above are an example of how this outreach can 
help build public confidence.  End note.) 
 
Inter-Agency Commission Gets Tough with the Provinces 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶3. (U) On April 8, the official Uzbekistan National News Agency 
website reported that the national inter-agency anti-TIP 
commission, which was established in 2008 in accordance with new 
legislation, convened a meeting to discuss the work of the 
corresponding prQincial level anti-TIP commissions in Bukhara and 
Andijon Provinces.  The article noted thatQthe national commission 
criticized the work of the territorial commissions in these two 
provinces and defined measures to improve their activities."  A 
separate article on UzReport.com, also published on April 8, 
reported that the national commission "harshly criticized" Andijon 
and Bukhara's efforts to date, and noted that the chairmen of the 
two provincial committees were present for the drubbing from the 
high-ranking national inter-agency committee members, which 
convened at the Office of the Prosecutor-General in the capital in 
the presence of journalists.  (Comment:  With a national 
inter-agency committee and 12 provincial ones established almost 
simultaneously, it was inevitable that some provinces would get off 
to a faster start than others or take it more seriously.  This sort 
of public shaming sends a powerful message to all provincial hokims 
that Tashkent wants them to take the anti-TIP efforts seriously. 
End comment.) 
 
Justice Ministry Publishes Account of Tashkent City Anti-TIP 
Commission 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------------- 
---- 
 
¶4. (U) On April 7, the Ministry of Justice published a report about 
a meeting of the capital district's recently formed inter-agency 
anti-TIP commission, which is separate from the 12 provinces.  It 
offered a glimpse into how such gatherings are organized and noted 
that "all of the district prosecutors, their deputies, and the 
heads of all internal affairs departments, their deputies, and 
officials from other relevant organizations" were in attendance. 
The agenda included an analysis of how the prosecutors supervise 
TIP investigations based on the operational plan for the first half 
of 2009 set by the city prosecutor's office.  Significantly, the 
report also mentioned that the Tashkent mayor's office, in 
cooperation with law enforcement officials, made appearances in the 
media and held events at educational institutions and influential 
neighborhood (mahalla) committees.  The meeting also discussed 
"mistakes and shortcomings" in the work of some sub-districts in 
this field, and noted the need "to pay particular attention to 
protecting victims."  (Comment:  This demonstrates the inter-agency 
committees seem to be earnestly playing the coordinating role on 
anti-TIP efforts as the 2008 legislation envisioned.  End comment.) 
 
Andijon TIP Cases 
----------------- 
 
¶5. (U) On March 26, the prominent national paper "Narodnoe Slovo" 
(People's Word) named four residents of the eastern city of Andijon 
as having been trafficked to Kazakhstan for labor exploitation 
after a Tursunpolat Xolmatov promised them a job "for at least USD 
400 per month."  The four men suffered hardships but managed to 
come back to Uzbekistan, where they alerted authorities.  Citing a 
separate Andijon Province case, the same report named two female 
traffickers - Mavjuda Pirmatova and Mavluda Mominova - as having 
promised six people "great jobs" in Kazakhstan but then "sold" the 
victims for USD 1,700 to accomplices north of the border.  These 
victims - all men - also managed to return home and report the 
incident.  (Comment:  The more people learn about these types of 
incidents, the more they are willing to report them to authorities, 
which has contributed to the rise of TIP complaints and 
investigations.  End note.) 
 
Namangan Statistics 
------------------- 
 
¶6. (U) On March 4, the "Namangan Haqiqati" (Truth) published a 
report by Abdurahim Dadaboyev, a senior lawyer of the provincial 
internal affairs department responsible for protecting human 
rights, documenting various anti-TIP measures being undertaken. 
Dadaboyev included data that there were 131 TIP crimes in Namangan 
Province in 2008, and investigations established that there were 
343 victims, of whom 318 were men, 25 were women, and 11 were 
children.  It also documented that there were 85 offenders against 
whom criminal proceedings were launched.  (Comment:  Namangan is in 
the populous and more conservative Ferghana Valley, and the data 
indicates that the vast majority of victims from this part of the 
country are males.  End comment.) 
 
TV Broadcast on Kashkadarya Province Cases 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶7. (U) On February 19, Uzbek TV broadcast a program entitled 
"Tracing a Crime," which documented several TIP cases in 
Kashkadarya Province.  It named a female offender from the town of 
Kitob, Dilfuza Gofurova, who allegedly took several local women 
abroad and forced them into prostitution.  The television report 
included interviews with victims, and Kitob District Prosecutor 
Bohodir Erkayev stated that Gofurova sold the women to a Turkish 
national for USD 4,000 and that an investigation was underway.  The 
same television report described another case in Kitob in which a 
Gayrat Rahmonov and his brother Golibjon Rahmonov allegedly 
deceived local residents and took them to the Chelyabinsk Region of 
Russia for labor exploitation.  A third story in the broadcast 
described victims who were trafficked to Almaty, Kazakhstan by 
suspects Rustam Alixonov and Jora Soatov for labor exploitation. 
Significantly, Qamashi District Prosecutor Shodiyon Jumaqulov 
commented that the prosecutor's office helped the victims collect 
damages for lost wages of 13 million soum (about USD 9,000), which 
is an example of government efforts to facilitate restitution for 
victims.  (Note:  It is becoming more common to see the names of 
the accused published in press reports about TIP cases, which is 
significant in an Asian culture that highly values "face."  End 
note.) 
 
Prosecutions 
------------ 
 
¶8. (U) On April 7, a report appeared in "Inson va Qonun" about 
three convictions - including two female offenders - with prison 
terms of eight or nine years each for trafficking Uzbek women to 
the UAE for sexual exploitation.  A March 23 article in the paper 
"Ma'rifat" reported that several young women from central Samarkand 
Province were trafficked to foreign countries and forced into 
prostitution, but that the offenders "have stood trial and were 
punished accordingly."  On March 5, "Noviy Vek" (New Century) 
quoted Iskander Usmanov, Deputy Head of the Prosecutor's Office for 
Tashkent Province (which excludes Tashkent City), as saying that 
"53 people were convicted and sentenced for TIP crimes in the past 
two years" in this province.  On February 25, "Tashkent Mahalla" 
reported the prosecution of Khorezm Province resident Ismoil 
Rozmetov for trafficking 12 men to Kazakhstan after promising them 
jobs with salaries of USD 300-350 per month; they were actually 
forced to work at a construction site. 
Comment: 
-------- 
 
¶9. (U) The accounts above illustrate how the state-controlled mass 
media in Uzbekistan has become a useful source of information on 
TIP cases as well as a means of raising public awareness.  Long 
after our annual TIP submission cable was transmitted, the 
Government of Uzbekistan is still ensuring that TIP is a regularly 
recurring theme in the press.  The stories also demonstrate that 
the recently established inter-agency anti-TIP commissions --  both 
at the national and provincial level - are capable of playing an 
effective coordinating role as envisioned by 2008 legislation and 
the national action plan.  Singling out lagging provinces for 
national criticism is a not-so-subtle encouragement for all 12 
provinces to focus on further efforts to combat trafficking in 
persons. 
BUTCHER