VZCZCXRO6972
RR RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDBU RUEHIK RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHNEH RUEHPOD
RUEHPW RUEHSK RUEHSL RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHNT #1491 2591235
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 161235Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY TASHKENT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1324
INFO ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
CIS COLLECTIVE
NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0026
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0219
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS TASHKENT 001491 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM ELAB PGOV UZ
SUBJECT: Uzbekistan: Activists in Samarkand Making a Difference 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  On September 8, Poloff met with ten human 
rights activists from "Ezgulik," the only registered human rights 
organization in Uzbekistan.  They discussed their observations of 
trends in the areas of child labor and religious freedom, but most 
of them focus their attention on the problems of everyday people - 
an approach that may well be the best way forward for the 
struggling NGO community. End summary. 
 
 
 
¶2.  (SBU) All of the participants in the meeting have "day jobs," 
outside professions for which they receive a salary, but on the 
side they assist people in filing petitions or otherwise addressing 
problems with local and regional governments.  They receive little 
to no money for their efforts, but get great personal satisfaction 
in bringing about small changes.    Participants described 
successes in things like restoring the gas supply to a local mosque 
and securing electrical improvements for a school that was having 
to use candle light. Their work on these issues brings concrete 
results, while not drawing excessive government attention. 
 
 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  The issue of child labor evoked a wide range of 
comments, and it seems that as is the case within the official 
Government of Uzbekistan, there is much disagreement amongst 
activists over the nature of the problem.  One activist asserted 
that if teachers did not involve kids in the cotton harvest, 
parents would do so on their own volition, as they need the money 
to cover the school costs for the children.  Others insisted that 
reforms needed to be made to protect the children involved, noting 
that every year children die in accidents related to the cotton 
harvest.  (Last year five students were apparently struck by a 
train when they were left unsupervised in an unfamiliar area.)  One 
activist suggested that the government should require that the 
children receive a minimum number of calories every day that they 
work the fields, to ensure that their health doesn't suffer.  All 
agreed that the child labor problem is intimately related to 
greater problems of agricultural reform. 
 
 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Other activists voiced their concerns over religious 
freedom in the Samarkand district.  Two teachers in the meeting 
specifically brought up the headscarf issue, stating that school 
uniform policies generally do not allow headscarves, and that 
students trying to wear them are often ridiculed or humiliated by 
other kids and teachers alike, and have even been expelled on 
occasion.  The teachers didn't blame the government for these 
problems, but rather the mentality of many people in the 
population, and they stated that the schools need to encourage more 
tolerance and understanding in this area. 
 
 
 
Comment 
 
------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The larger lesson that came out of this meeting is more 
about the role of NGOs in Uzbekistan, rather than any one 
particular issue.  It's no secret that between registration 
requirements and both official and unofficial harassment, the NGO 
community is struggling in Uzbekistan.  These Samarkand-based 
activists demonstrate, however, that they can make a difference in 
the daily lives of everyday individuals.  They focus their work on 
manageable problems, and do not attract official GOU attention. 
While the work is not splashy, it may well be the basis for the 
future of NGO activity in Uzbekistan.  End comment. 
NORLAND