VZCZCXRO7480
RR RUEHDBU RUEHIK RUEHLN RUEHPOD RUEHSK RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHNT #0647 1261018
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 061019Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY TASHKENT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0840
INFO CIS COLLECTIVE
NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHINGTON DC
RUEHNT/AMEMBASSY TASHKENT

UNCLAS TASHKENT 000647 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KTIP UZ
SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN: SIX MORE TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS CONVICTIONS 
REPORTED 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: Convictions of six more trafficking offenders were 
reported in separate articles in the state-controlled press on 
April 30 - May 1, the latest examples of Uzbekistan's aggressive 
enforcement of its 2008 law and criminal code amendments.  The 
Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported substantially higher 
convictions during the most recent reporting period for the annual 
TIP Report, and these articles demonstrate that there is indeed a 
concerted effort around the country to punish TIP offenders.  Press 
reports on TIP-related issues continue to appear on an almost daily 
basis. 
 
 
 
¶2. (U) on May 1, Tashkent Adolat newspaper published a report from 
Mirza Qahhorov, Deputy Prosecutor of the Chilonzor district of 
Tashkent City, entitled "None of Those Who Led People to Slavery 
Will Escape Punishment."  It first described general worldwide 
statistics and noted that nearly 2,000 Uzbeks were trafficking 
victims in 2008.  The article then reported that on January 20, a 
Qayum Ortiqov was convicted under Article 135, part 2, paragraph b, 
d, e, i, and j of the criminal code.  The male offender had two 
female accomplices, Yekaterina Inozemtsova and her daughter, Lina 
Inozemtsova, who were the Director and Deputy Director, 
respectively, of a private company called Vesta Lemax. 
 
 
 
¶3. (U) Ortiqov "took a large amount of money from more than 10 
citizens" and promised that he and his partners would arrange jobs 
at a tile factory in the Krasnodar region of Russia.  Instead, the 
"misled citizens were coldly received by the offenders' fellows" in 
Krasnodar, had their passports confiscated, and then put to work at 
a brick factory in a remote village.  They were subjected, 
according to Qahhorov's article, to "awful living conditions" and 
forced to work 12-14 hours per day.  They eventually returned home 
after three months, having received no salaries, and complained to 
authorities.  "The court then administered relevant punishments to 
the offenders," although it does not specify any prison term (Note: 
The minimum according to the new law and criminal code amendments 
is three years imprisonment.  End note.) 
 
 
 
¶4. (U) On April 30, the Namangan Diyonat provincial newspaper 
reported that Zohid Rahmonov was convicted of trafficking in 
persons and sentenced to seven years in prison.  The resident of 
Pop District was found guilty of leading nine fellow Uzbeks to 
Russia's Ryazan Region after promising them high-paying jobs. 
Rahmonov subsequently "turned the group over to a Russian man," who 
forced them to work without payment for several months. 
 
 
 
¶5. (U) Also on April 30, the newspaper Huquq reported that a 
resident of Karakalpakstan Province, N. Baximbetov, was convicted 
for trafficking 13 Uzbeks into Kazakhstan, "where they were forced 
to do hard jobs." 
 
 
 
Comment 
 
------------- 
 
 
 
¶6. (U) Each of these three cases involved trafficking for labor 
exploitation in which multiple Uzbeks were taken abroad under false 
pretenses.  It may seem obvious that the victims would file 
criminal complaints upon their return, but until recently offenders 
may have assumed they could pull off the crime with relative 
impunity.  More Uzbeks are aware that this exploitation is 
criminalized and victims are more assertive about turning to 
authorities.  The stories also reflect the large scale of outbound 
labor migration, is another important reason why the Government of 
Uzbekistan decided to take TIP so seriously in recent times. 
NORLAND