Corporate report

Uzbekistan - in-year update July 2015

Published 15 July 2015

The few positive developments in Uzbekistan over the last six months were accompanied by a number of issues prompting further concern. Overall, significant concerns regarding the human rights situation remain.

A National Action Plan (NAP), which will support implementation of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) recommendations accepted by Uzbekistan, was formally adopted by the government of Uzbekistan in March. However, the Memorandum of Understanding between Uzbekistan and the UN Development Programme, which will enable the NAP’s delivery, is yet to be fully agreed.

In January, there were allegations in the media that six Uzbek citizens who had applied for asylum in Norway and then returned to Uzbekistan faced mistreatment on return. The media reports alleged that the six individuals were detained on charges of religious extremism, and that pre-trial procedures were not properly conducted.

In February Hayrullo Hamidov, a journalist who had served five years of a six-year prison sentence for what human rights groups considered to be politically motivated charges, was released.

On 17 February, the British Embassy in Tashkent attended the presentation of the annual report produced by Ezgulik, one of Uzbekistan’s few independent registered human rights organisations. The report concludes that the overall human rights situation in Uzbekistan remains unchanged since last year. However, it mentions that a number of individuals who had been imprisoned due to their religious beliefs have been released.

In February, human rights defenders (HRDs) Elena Urlaeva, Shukhrat Rustamov and Adelaida Kim, members of the Human Rights Alliance of Uzbekistan, were nominated by the South Korean Tji Haksoon Foundation to receive an award in recognition of their work in support of human rights in Uzbekistan. However, only Adelaida Kim was granted an exit visa to travel to Seoul. She received the award on 11 March.

We noted with concern reports on the detention of Mr Alikul Sarymsakov, also a member of the Human Rights Alliance of Uzbekistan, shortly after he attended a meeting on 3 March with representatives from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). During this meeting, he reportedly questioned President Karimov’s constitutional right to stand for a further term. Human rights groups have alleged that Mr Sarymsakov was abducted following his attendance at the meeting. He has reportedly been detained in a psychiatric hospital since 11 March. On 27 March, the EU issued a statement reminding Uzbekistan of its OSCE commitments in the area of freedom of expression, and highlighting the importance of allowing a free exchange of opinions during electoral campaigns. The EU also encouraged the Uzbek authorities to release Mr. Sarymsakov from his involuntary treatment and, pending his release, to grant him access to legal representation and visits by family members. We will continue to monitor his case.

There was further activity in March in support of the Decent Work Country Programme for 2014-2016, agreed between the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Uzbekistan last year, to support implementation of ILO Convention 105 on Forced Labour. The ILO announced plans to introduce a “Third Party” monitoring mechanism for the cotton harvest this year. It is hoped that this will enable human rights organisations to contribute to reporting on the extent to which ILO conventions are being implemented. However, according to a statement issued by the Cotton Campaign on 25 March, the Uzbek authorities recently raided a meeting involving HRDs and a visiting foreign expert.

An ODIHR Limited Election Observation Mission was invited by the Uzbek authorities to observe the 29 March presidential elections. In its Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions, ODIHR judged that the elections lacked genuine electoral competition, and voters were prevented from making informed choices, given that fundamental freedoms of expression and association remain effectively curtailed. It also raised doubts about the Central Election Commission’s independence. In February, ODIHR released its final report on the parliamentary elections of December 2014. This reaffirmed its main interim findings: that although the elections were competently administered, there was an absence of genuine competition or debate between candidates.

In April, Amnesty International issued its report Secrets and Lies; Forced Confessions Under Torture in Uzbekistan. The report was released as part of Amnesty’s global “Stop Torture Campaign”. It documents reports of the use of torture by Uzbek law enforcement agencies within the criminal justice system.

On the tenth anniversary of the events in Andijan of 13 May 2005, Human Rights Watch issued a report and video Uzbekistan, Decade of Impunity for Massacre. Michael Link, ODIHR Director, issued a statement calling for an independent, credible, international investigation into the events in Andijan, when many people lost their lives as a result of action by security forces.

In April Azam Formonov, a HRD who has been detained since 2006, received an additional sentence of five years for alleged violation of prison rules. Under the terms of his original sentence, Mr Formonov was due to be released on 29 April 2015. His case was profiled in the Human Rights Watch report “Until the Very End”, published in September 2014; we have raised our concerns with the Uzbek authorities bilaterally.

In May and June there were reports that Elena Urlaeva, Head of the Human Rights Defenders’ Alliance in Uzbekistan, was detained and mistreated by law enforcement officials whilst gathering evidence of possible forced labour in the cotton sector.

In response to the cases of both Azam Formonov and Elena Urlaeva, the EU issued a statement on 11 June at the OSCE Permanent Council expressing concern about both cases, calling for a investigation into the treatment of Ms Urlaeva, and urging the Uzbek authorities to end the practice of applying additional sentences, as in the case of Mr Formonov.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon visited Uzbekistan on 12 June. In a statement during his visit, the UNSG acknowledged Uzbekistan’s efforts to eliminate child labour in the cotton sector and achieve the Millennium Development Goals. He also welcomed the adoption of the NAP to follow up on the UPR recommendations, whilst calling for implementation of the NAP to support Uzbekistan’s compliance with international human rights standards.

Between January and June, there continued to be allegations in internet media and by NGOs of actions by law enforcement authorities against individuals engaged in religious activities outside state-sanctioned structures.