EU may soon lift weapons embargo from…

Uznews.net – Worrying that at the end of October the EU will lift the last sanctions from Uzbekistan imposed for the Andijan killings, Uzbek civil society activists have asked the EU not to do so.

A weapons embargo is the last formal sanction of the EU which is still in force against the Uzbek government for crushing a rally in Andijan on 13 May 2005, and all other restrictions have been removed year after year because EU bureaucrats saw “progress” in Tashkent’s actions in the human rights sphere.

The initial list of 12 Uzbek high-ranking officials responsible for the mass killings in Andijan who were banned from travelling to EU countries first decreased to eight people and then to four, and in November 2008 all these people were allowed travel to the EU, including the chairman of the National Security Service (SNB), Rustam Inoyatov, who immediately went on a working visit to Berlin.

Civil society activists point out that Uzbekistan has not fulfilled demands made by the EU in October 2005 when it imposed the sanctions for the Andijan massacre.

Demands included an independent probe into the events, the release of all civil activists from prison, an end to the persecution of human rights activists, the simplification of rules for registering NGOs, the accreditation of Human Rights Watch staff and permission for UN special rapporteurs for human rights to visit the country.

Tashkent has not fulfilled any of these demands, but sanctions eased or discontinued after each consecutive meeting of EU foreign ministers, while the human rights situation continued to worsen in Uzbekistan.

“We state that the easing of sanctions a year ago was a wrong decision and led to the EU losing a real mechanism to influence the Uzbek government. The possible abolition of a weapons embargo may become another fatal mistake and encourage the regime of Karimov to continue to use armed forces unproportionally in crushing protest actions by the population,” says a statement signed by 18 Uzbek human rights activists.

The EU’s “constructive dialogue on human rights”, initiated by Germany, has become a mechanism which, in essence, has helped the regime of Islam Karimov to deceive EU officials with seminars, mutual visits, the ratification of some international documents and the release of several political prisoners.

However, this “constructive dialogue”, Uzbek activists think, does not improve the human rights situation in Uzbekistan and the EU, however hard will it try, will not be able to disprove this.

At least 15 human rights activists and journalists are now in prison for their peaceful public activities, the statement says.

Activists detained and imprisoned between 2005 and 2007 are Agzam Farmonov, Alisher Karamatov, Norboy Holjigitov, Habibulla Akpulatov, Nasim Isakov and Rasul Hudaynazarov. Journalist Jamshid Karimov, writer Yusuf Juma and his son Mashrab are also in prison.

In the past two years, five more activists were imprisoned on trumped-up charges – Agzam Turgunov, Salijon Abdurahmanov, Dilmurod Sayid, Farhad Muhtarov and Gaybullo Jalilov, activists said.

After the release of well-known activists, which the EU treated as big progress, the Uzbek government has managed to jail the same number of other activists. Moreover, those released immediately leave abroad and almost stop their activities, while those are active and work in the country are ending up in prison.

The persecution of civil society activists, torture, arbitrary arrests despite the adoption of Habeas Corpus legislation, repressions against religious leaders and the large-scale use of forced child labour in cotton fields are still topical at the moment.

“We are surprised that some EU countries are turning a blind eye to such great suppression of human rights in Uzbekistan. They see progress where there is not any,” Uzbek activists wrote to the EU.

“As readiness for the dialogue the Uzbek government should release all human rights activists, while the EU should remain uncompromising on this issue and keep the sanctions until Uzbekistan make real concessions,” the activists said.