Uzbekistan: Activists Urge European Union to Maintain Arms Embargo

Uzbek civil rights activists are urging the European Union (EU) to keep an arms embargo against Uzbekistan in place.

The website Uznews.net reported on October 7 that Uzbek civil society activists had sent an appeal to EU officials. The appeal noted that several sanctions imposed on Tashkent following the 2005 Andijan massacre have already been removed, including a EU travel ban for a dozen top Uzbek political and military leaders.

Lifting the arms embargo will do nothing to encourage President Islam Karimov's administration in Tashkent to liberalize the country's political system, the civil society activists contended. "We are surprised that several representatives of EU countries are closing their eyes to such massive repression of human rights in Uzbekistan," UzNews.net quoted the civil society activists as telling EU officials in the letter. "They see [human rights] progress, where there is none."

"We declare that the easing of sanctions a year ago was an erroneous decision and reflects the fact that the EU has lost real influence with the government of Uzbekistan," the civil society activists continued. The EU arms embargo includes a ban on the sale of weapons, explosives and military training equipment. It could be lifted later this month, the UzNews.net report indicated.