Uzbekistan Features - The Times Of Central Asia

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In Uzbekistan, Injustices Continue in Court Proceedings

The Times of Central Asia has studied the Uzbekistan section of Amnesty International’s annual report on the state of human rights in the world. The report includes profiles of 155 countries with artificial intelligence (AI)-tracked human rights records through 2023. The results of the review show that Uzbekistan still has much ground to cover to improve its standing among global peers in the sphere of human rights. In April 2022, the introduction of constitutional amendments caused mass protests in the autonomous republic of Karakalpakstan. Dozens of people involved in the brutally suppressed mass protests in Karakalpakstan have been found guilty in biased, politically motivated trials. Despite widespread allegations of illegal use of force against peaceful protesters in Karakalpakstan, only three members of the security forces have been prosecuted. Defamation and insults, including insulting the president, remain a criminal offense. The government has tightened control over critical voices, especially on social media. At least 10 bloggers have been prosecuted on allegedly false and politically motivated charges for their online posts containing criticism. Torture and ill treatment of those detained in prisons remain widespread. Since 2021 no progress has been made on implementing proposals presented by the Prosecutor General's Office to eliminate torture by reforming the criminal code, creating independent mechanisms to monitor torture complaints, improving prison conditions and addressing the issue of reparations for torture. During an October 2023 appeal hearing of the detained blogger and investigative journalist Abduqodir Mominov, he told the court that police “shocked my body, kicked and crushed my genitals, repeatedly hit my legs with special batons... [and] hurt my ribs” in order to force a confession. The court didn't issue an order to investigate his claim of torture. In April, legislative amendments introduced domestic violence as a separate crime for the first time -- and provided additional protection mechanisms for women and children who are victims of violence. But these new safeguards officially prioritize reconciliation and family reunification over the protection of women's and children's rights, and have been officially described as “strengthening the institution of the family.” Exercising the right to religious freedom remains under strict control. The report says the government continues to prosecute devout Muslims on what it describes as “extremism-related” charges -- while also failing to investigate their claims of torture and ill treatment. Sardor Rahmonkulov, a student who was sentenced to five years in prison in January for spreading religious songs through social media, claimed in court that police officers suffocated him with a plastic bag and took turns kicking him. The appeals court, as is customary, refused to consider his allegations of torture.

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Authorities Find Secret Tunnel Connecting Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan

Another underground passage has been found in the Jalal-Abad region of Kyrgyzstan, which was being used to illegally transport both people and contraband goods into neighboring Uzbekistan. The suspects involved have been arrested. That's according to a report from news outlet, Kaktus, which references information from the press service of the Department of Internal Affairs of Kyrgyzstan's Osh region. On April 5, officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Osh region arrested a female citizen of Uzbekistan who illegally crossed the Kyrgyz border. During the investigation, it turned out that she crossed the international border into Kyrgyzstan through a secret tunnel connecting the two countries. The police opened a criminal case under Article 168 of the Criminal Code of Kyrgyzstan on “Organization of illegal migration, illegal importation of migrants.” On the night of April 12, a local citizen was arrested in the Nooken district suspected of organizing illegal crossings of the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border for payment. According to police, during the arrest, specially marked currency and night vision binoculars were confiscated. In addition, 87 boxes of narcotics with an initial value of about $30,000 dollars were found in his house. This is the third secret underground passageway discovered, with two secret underground tunnels connecting the city of Khanabad, Andijan region (Uzbekistan), with Bekabad village, Suzok district, Jalalabad region (Kyrgyzstan) having previously been identified. Members of a cross-border criminal group consisting of citizens of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan were captured. On March 17 of this year, a Kyrgyz citizen took a total of 813 mobile phone devices in 16 bags to Uzbekistan using an underground tunnel, and tried to take 1.745 kilograms of gold bars and jewelry out of the country. They were apprehended with physical evidence.

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Innovating in Uzbekistan: Council Aims to Nurture Young Scientists

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan - Uzbekistan has this to say to any young Uzbek citizen interested in science: Step up and collaborate. Uzbekistan’s Council of Young Scientists, or CYS, is seeking to expand the ranks of fledgling scientists, overseeing financial and other support as well as programs to attract researchers. The group, founded in 2017 under a presidential initiative, had more than 10,000 members in 2022 and the number has tripled since then, according to director, Sayyora Saidova. In an interview with The Times of Central Asia, Saidova talked about the surge of interest in science in Uzbekistan. “Even though the age limit for membership in the organization is 30, scientists under 45 are also members of our organization,” said Saidova, who has a PhD in philosophy. “We are ready to accept every young person interested in science as a member of the organization. In most cases, young scientists apply to CYS to find a scientific supervisor.” The non-governmental group has organized free online and in-person conferences, offering a platform for young people to publish articles that are checked for quality by an editorial board. Young inventors are encouraged through forums and competitions, and it helps to patent their ideas, Saidova said. The council introduced the “PhD sari qadam” (Step to PhD) project through social networks to support aspiring female scientists. In its second season, organizers selected a hundred women who were trained for two months on how to complete a PhD. Saidova spoke to The Times of Central Asia, or TCA, after the project’s closing ceremony on April 5. Dilorom Mamadjanova, a participant in the “PhD sari qadam” project, said Uzbekistan offers adequate opportunities for young researchers. “In our country, as in countries such as Germany, Finland, and the Czech Republic, doctoral students do not pay any fees,” said Mamadjanova, a PhD student at Tashkent State Pedagogical University. However, she pointed out difficulties. “In some higher education institutions, doctoral students are required to come to the university every day, [as] daily attendance is taken,” she said in written remarks to TCA. “I believe that doctoral students should spend time in research facilities for their research work - libraries and similar places useful for dissertation work.” Mamadjanova also noted that there were “small obstacles” when a doctoral student wants to use the database of another university’s library and is required to get a letter of application from his or her own university in order to do so. “I believe that this is a time-consuming, bureaucratic process,” she said. Saidova said the Council of Young Scientists cooperates with the Ministry of Innovation, helping young researchers in chemistry and physics get permission to use laboratories and access international literature. “Although CYS does not have its own fund, it participates in many state and international grants. We directly mediate between international organizations and researchers,” Saidova said. “Last year, the UNICEF organization announced a grant to fight against corruption. CYS brought together all young scientists doing scientific work in this field. The organization directly helped young...

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Uzbekistan Working on Economic Reforms, Wants U.S. to Get More Involved

Uzbekistan’s ambassador to the United States says the relationship between the two countries is on a roll. “It’s a very promising time,” Ambassador Furqat Sidiqov said in Washington this week, adding that the two nations have a high level of “effective, open dialogue” as Uzbekistan seeks American investment and U.S. support for economic reforms and in other areas. Even difficult topics such as child labor and concerns about religious freedom in Uzbekistan are on the table, he said. American businesses stand to benefit from Uzbekistan’s push into information technology and other industries, Sidiqov said on Wednesday at a meeting of the Caspian Policy Center, a research center based in Washington. More than 100,000 Uzbeks are engaged in IT services; with most industry exports already go to the United States, a technology campus affiliated with Arizona State University will open this year in the Central Asian country, according to Sidiqov. The ambassador acknowledged that Uzbekistan faces challenges such as water scarcity, and that the country’s leaders hope U.S. and international institutions can help implement “smart technologies” that save water. Only 20% of Uzbekistan’s water comes from within the country – the rest coming from neighboring states - and the vast majority of water is used in agriculture, often inefficiently, according to the press office of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Uzbekistan is privatizing most of its banking industry, there are plans to relax the tax burden on foreign investors, and an anti-corruption push is underway. “Our main strategy is to minimize the role of the government in business,” said Sidiqov, a former deputy foreign minister who became ambassador to the U.S. last year. Sidiqov worked as a lower-ranking diplomat in the Washington embassy on two previous tours lasting a decade. Uzbekistan’s state-owned banks have made progress toward “more commercially-driven business models” since the unveiling of a banking reform plan in 2020, according to Fitch Ratings, the credit ratings agency. But “further improvements may take longer due to the sector’s deep-seated structural weaknesses and new risks,” the agency said in March. A U.S. congressional delegation recently returned from a trip that include a visit to Uzbekistan. The delegation, which included Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, met Mirziyoyev and his foreign and defense ministers. The Uzbek ambassador said a key development in ties between Central Asia and the United States came last year when U.S. President Joe Biden met leaders from the region in New York. The summit, dubbed “C5+1,” included the presidents of Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. They discussed security, economic development, climate change and efforts to promote peace. “For the first time in our history, the United States is seeing us as a region. Before, we were part of American policy toward Afghanistan, something like that,” said Sidiqov, adding that Central Asia would welcome a Biden visit. “We will be more than happy to organize that,” he said.

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Extremists See Some Central Asian Communities as Fertile Recruiting Ground

The deadly attack on the Moscow concert hall has focused attention on the large number of Central Asian migrants living – often in grim conditions - in Russia, as well as the possible vulnerability of some of them to recruitment by extremist groups. A Russian court on Sunday charged four migrant laborers from Taijikistan with terrorism in the attack at the Crocus City complex that killed about 140 people on Friday night, according to various media reports. The men appeared to have been badly beaten prior to their court appearances. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. While Tajikistan has expressed concern that “fake information” about who was behind Moscow could scapegoat its citizens, terrorism experts have noted in recent years that extremists see some Central Asian communities as fertile ground for recruitment. A U.N. Security Council report last year highlighted the activities of the Islamic State branch in the historical Khorasan region, which includes Afghanistan and parts of Iran and southern Central Asia. The branch is known as ISIL-K. “Regional Member States estimated current ISIL-K strength at between 1,000 and 3,000 fighters, of whom approximately 200 were of Central Asian origin, but other Member States believed that number could be as much as 6,000,” the U.N. report said. It said the group’s propaganda magazine publishes in Pashto, Iranian, Tajik, Uzbek and Russian, and that outreach in the Tajik and Uzbek languages was “noteworthy” after an Uzbek national named Rashidov joined its media wing. Rashidov was recruited online while working as a migrant in Finland and he then moved to Afghanistan, the report said. The Islamic State branch is “bolstering its campaign to appeal to Central Asians in their home countries and in diasporas abroad,” Lucas Webber and Riccardo Valle wrote in a Hudson Institute analysis last year. It seeks to take advantage of “the deep-seated grievances that are present across Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan,” they wrote. Russia’s military intervention in Syria’s civil war as well as past campaigns in Chechnya and Afghanistan have made it a potential target for Muslim extremists, according to terrorism analysts. By some estimates, 10% of Tajikistan’s workforce of more than five million people have migrated to Russia. The vast majority are men. Most leave Tajikistan legally, though some end up in violation of the law because of administrative problems or more serious offenses. Workers’ remittances accounted for about one-third of Tajikistan’s annual GDP in 2019, according to the bank report. Tajik officials have been trying to generate job growth to reduce the economy’s dependency on money sent by its citizens abroad. In Russia, many migrants live in hostels and overcrowded apartments, enduring poor hygiene and health. “The majority of migrants, low skilled and economically desperate, are willing to accept any working conditions. Most migrants also have nearly zero legal literacy,” the Asian Development Bank said in a 2020 report on labor migration in Tajikistan. “These conditions can lead to labor exploitation by employers and police abuse and extortion by criminal gangs,” the report...

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Death Toll Rises to 137, as Russia Continues With Ukraine Narrative

On Monday, the Kremlin updated the death toll from Friday’s terror attack at the Crocus City Hall to 137, with another 182 confirmed injured. This came after the four suspects appeared in court, charged with committing a terrorist act. Russia’s former president and prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev, spoke of imposing the death penalty for the first time in Russia since 1996, stating, “Should they be killed? Necessary. And it will be. But it is much more important to kill everyone involved. Everyone. Who paid, who sympathized, who helped. Kill them all.” In the wake of the devastating attack, Russia has escalated security measures at crucial transportation centers and postponed several public gatherings including concerts and at sports events. The recent violence undermines the sense of safety and order within its borders that many Russians have long associated with President Vladimir Putin's reign. Despite the Afghanistan branch of the Islamic State group (ISKP) having claimed responsibility for the mass shooting on Friday night, releasing video footage related to the attack and claiming sole responsibility, Russia has continued to attempt to pin responsibility on Ukraine. On Monday, Maria Zakharova, Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, wrote in an article for the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper, “Attention – a question to the White House: Are you sure it’s Isis? Might you think again about that?” As those detained were apprehended carrying Tajik passports, a large numbers of Tajik migrants who live in Russia, many enduring difficult conditions in hostels while struggling to find work, are now living in fear of reprisals. Tajikistan was among several Central Asian states that condemned the attack and sent condolences to relatives and friends of the dead. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan spoke by telephone to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, Kazakhstan’s presidential press office said. “The head of our state strongly condemned the brutal act of violence against civilians and reaffirmed solidarity with Russia in the fight against terrorism,” the press office said. Kazakhstan has offered the help of its law enforcement agencies to Russia if needed and Uzbekistan’s presidential office said those responsible for the attack “will be assured of the inevitability of punishment.” Bouquets of flowers were laid outside the Russian embassy in Astana, Kazakhstan. Video recorded by witnesses at the Moscow venue showed several gunmen roaming the atrium and other parts of the entertainment complex, opening fire on civilians. A large blaze also broke out at the building during the attack and was later extinguished. On Feb. 27, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke of threats coming from extremists in Afghanistan and prioritized “ensuring military security in the Central Asian strategic area.” Shoigu said the number of ISKP militants in Afghanistan had increased by 15% in the past year. He said their key objectives were to spread radical ideology and to conduct subversive activities on the southern borders of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. The organization, CSTO, is a Russian-led security alliance that includes Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. “Radicals from Central Asia have accounted for...