Contradictory Trial Rulings Designed to Pressure EU
Contradictory Trial Rulings Designed to Pressure EU
The Uzbek authorities’ decision to release one human rights activist but keep another in prison was a calculated step designed to sway the European Union’s decision on whether or not to lift sanctions, say NBCentralAsia observers.
Last week, Tashkent city court reduced the sentence of human rights activist Umida Niazova from seven years in prison to a suspended sentence. She had been accused of illegally crossing the border and transporting anti-constitutional publications. In an appeal hearing on May 8, Niazova was released under a probationary suspended sentence after admitting her “crimes” and expressing remorse.
Gulbahor Turaeva was detained on similar charges, accused of crossing the border illegally and distributing “anti-constitutional” publications.
Both women were arrested earlier this year. Throughout their detention, many local and international human rights organisations have protested against the government’s handling of their cases.
Turaeva was initially sentenced to six years in prison. On May 7, a court in Andijan court found her guilty of an additional offence. According to Uzbekistan’s foreign ministry, this new sentence does not increase the time she will spend in prison.
NBCentralAsia observers say the wildly contrasting verdicts were designed to influence the European Union’s thinking ahead of a May 14 meeting to discuss whether to lift sanctions against Uzbekistan. The sanctions were imposed after government troops in Andijan shot hundreds of civilians on May 13, 2005. In November last year, the EU decided to prolong the sanctions because of the lack of progress on human rights.
Independent journalist Ulugbek Haidarov said the authorities made one concession to the EU by releasing Niazova, in the hope that this would influence the decision on sanctions.
“[President Islam] Karimov is playing a dirty game with the EU. He wants to publicly tell the world, “I have made a concession, now it’s your turn’.”
According to Alisher Ilhamov, an academic at the School for African and Oriental Studies in London, both verdicts were political. In the case of Turaeva, the authorities decided not to release her so as to avoid looking weak in the eyes of the international community.
“Two conclusions can be drawn. The first is that until the European Union piles on the pressure, Uzbekistan won’t make any concessions. The second is that Uzbekistan is not demonstrating a readiness for a dialogue on human rights,” he said.
“Other concessions should have been made – the others should have been released to show the beginning of a thaw in human rights, but that hasn’t happened.”
Andrea Berg, head of the Human Rights Watch office in Tashkent, said the Uzbek authorities have not changed their stance on human rights. “They don’t want to recognise independent thinking. You either have to agree with the opinion of the authorities, or you are their enemy,” she said.
Human Rights Watch believes there are at least 14 human rights activists imprisoned in Uzbekistan.
Meeting on May 14, EU foreign ministers decided to keep the sanctions in place, although they reduced the list of top officials banned from entering EU countries from 12 to eight.
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
Last week, Tashkent city court reduced the sentence of human rights activist Umida Niazova from seven years in prison to a suspended sentence. She had been accused of illegally crossing the border and transporting anti-constitutional publications. In an appeal hearing on May 8, Niazova was released under a probationary suspended sentence after admitting her “crimes” and expressing remorse.
Gulbahor Turaeva was detained on similar charges, accused of crossing the border illegally and distributing “anti-constitutional” publications.
Both women were arrested earlier this year. Throughout their detention, many local and international human rights organisations have protested against the government’s handling of their cases.
Turaeva was initially sentenced to six years in prison. On May 7, a court in Andijan court found her guilty of an additional offence. According to Uzbekistan’s foreign ministry, this new sentence does not increase the time she will spend in prison.
NBCentralAsia observers say the wildly contrasting verdicts were designed to influence the European Union’s thinking ahead of a May 14 meeting to discuss whether to lift sanctions against Uzbekistan. The sanctions were imposed after government troops in Andijan shot hundreds of civilians on May 13, 2005. In November last year, the EU decided to prolong the sanctions because of the lack of progress on human rights.
Independent journalist Ulugbek Haidarov said the authorities made one concession to the EU by releasing Niazova, in the hope that this would influence the decision on sanctions.
“[President Islam] Karimov is playing a dirty game with the EU. He wants to publicly tell the world, “I have made a concession, now it’s your turn’.”
According to Alisher Ilhamov, an academic at the School for African and Oriental Studies in London, both verdicts were political. In the case of Turaeva, the authorities decided not to release her so as to avoid looking weak in the eyes of the international community.
“Two conclusions can be drawn. The first is that until the European Union piles on the pressure, Uzbekistan won’t make any concessions. The second is that Uzbekistan is not demonstrating a readiness for a dialogue on human rights,” he said.
“Other concessions should have been made – the others should have been released to show the beginning of a thaw in human rights, but that hasn’t happened.”
Andrea Berg, head of the Human Rights Watch office in Tashkent, said the Uzbek authorities have not changed their stance on human rights. “They don’t want to recognise independent thinking. You either have to agree with the opinion of the authorities, or you are their enemy,” she said.
Human Rights Watch believes there are at least 14 human rights activists imprisoned in Uzbekistan.
Meeting on May 14, EU foreign ministers decided to keep the sanctions in place, although they reduced the list of top officials banned from entering EU countries from 12 to eight.
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
