Uzbekistan: EU Sends Mixed Signals with Quiet Rights Dialogue, Visible Trade Delegation
The European Union-Uzbekistan dialogue took place June 23-24, human rights activists report, but nothing is known about it. The meetings are held behind closed doors, and it's not certain to what extent the EU representatives in Tashkent or Brussels consult with domestic and international human rights groups.
Poland has now assumed the rotating presidency of the EU for six months, so Polish diplomats reportedly organized the meeting, which is part of an agreement of cooperation between the EU and Uzbekistan.
The EU has come in for some heavy criticism lately from members of the European Parliament regarding child labor in the cotton industry. MEPs and NGOs have also been asking hard questions about EU funding to Uzbekistan, based on facts that unintentionally came out at a libel trial in Paris instigated by Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, the president's daughter, over a French journalist's criticism of her charitable activities. A document produced as a character reference by Europa House, touting the cooperation with Karimova-Tillyaeva only raised more concerns. German MPs asked for an account of how the money was spent, and now Deutsche Welle's Russian Service reporting that the EU has apparently decided to suspend the grant to an organization chaired by Karimova-Tillyaeva, citing an unnamed source in the European Commission.
A number of human rights groups presented cases to the EU on the eve of the dialogue, in the hopes that at least some kind of token gesture would result, as with the release of poet Yusif Juma last month.
The International Partnership for Human Rights, the Netherlands Helsinki Committee and the Initiative Group of Independent Human Rights Defenders of Uzbekistan submitted a paper to the EU describing serious human rights violations, including the ongoing fight against Muslim believers deemed to be extremists, citing numerous trials and cases such as prominent broadcaster journalist Khayrullo Khamidov.
Typical is the story of Sherzod Hadzhiev, arrested along with his brother Feruz Hadzhiev in October 2010 as they were on their way home from work in Karshi. They were quickly tried at a hearing without a lawyer present, sentenced for "hooliganism" to 10 days’ administrative arrest, then beaten and kicked severely while in detention. After 10 days, Feruz was released evidently after agreeing not to speak of his arrest or torture, and his brother was tried. The mother of the two brothers has tried to appeal to authorities and to the ombudsman, but has been repeatedly rejected and pressured by police to stop writing complaints.
Human Rights Watch issued an appeal on June 22 calling on European officials to raise the case with Uzbek counterparts of Norboi Kholjigitov, a wrongfully imprisoned human rights defender critically ill with diabetes. At their last visit May 18, relatives found Holjigitov had difficulty walking due to loss of sensation in his legs. HRW says at least 13 more human rights defenders remain in prison.
As the EUObserver comments, the EU has been going through some rocky times in general with restructuring its foreign policy apparatus since the Treaty of Lisbon, and is "already suffering from a lack of morale, damaging infighting and a hazy chain of command."
We've already seen clashes like this affect Uzbek policy, such as the time when one EU spokesperson said the EU would not deploy its new diplomatic mission in Tashkent due to the expulsion of Human Rights Watch and other violations, and another spokesman said that it would proceed with the mission.
Of course, the EU's private advocacy on human rights is offset by the visible economic and security aspects of the relationship. On June 23, the same day as the rights dialogue was opening, a trade delegation with government officials and business representatives led by Jörg Bode, German Minister for Economics, Labor and Transport of Lower Saxony, was meeting with the Uzbek Foreign Ministry in Tashkent. The Foreign Ministry press center reminds us that "Germany is a main economic partner of Uzbekistan" and that trade "exceeded $480 million in 2010" and that currently joint ventures are worth "over 1 billion euros."
No word on those outstanding debts to indignant German companies involved with fickle Uzbek ventures. The Germans are in Uzbekistan for three days and will also meet with trade and investment officials and visit some of the 114 enterprises with German investment.
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