U.S. Department of State Country Report on Human Rights Practices 1997 - Uzbekistan
Publisher | United States Department of State |
Publication Date | 30 January 1998 |
Cite as | United States Department of State, U.S. Department of State Country Report on Human Rights Practices 1997 - Uzbekistan, 30 January 1998, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aa1e22.html [accessed 2 June 2023] |
Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, January 30, 1998.
UZBEKISTAN
Uzbekistan is an authoritarian state with limited civil rights. The Constitution provides for a presidential system with separation of powers between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. In practice President Islam Karimov and the centralized executive branch that serves him remain the dominant forces in political life. The Oliy Majlis (Parliament) is dominated by the executive branch, and only parties that support the President are represented. Although the Constitution provides for an independent judicial authority, in practice the judicial branch is heavily influenced by the executive branch in civil and criminal cases. The police are controlled by the Ministry of Interior (MVD). The police and related MVD forces are responsible for most normal internal police functions. The National Security Service (NSS)--the former KGB--deals with a broad range of national security questions, including corruption, organized crime, and narcotics. The army and border guards are responsible for external defense. They are not routinely used in internal disturbances and rarely are implicated in human rights abuses. The police and the NSS committed numerous, serious human rights abuses. The Government continued to move toward market reform, especially through improvement in the legislative framework. However, restrictions continue on currency convertibility and other financial steps which have led to suspension of international loans. The economy is based primarily on agriculture and agricultural processing; Uzbekistan is the world's fifth largest producer of cotton, the seventh largest producer of gold and has substantial deposits of copper, strategic minerals, gas, and oil. The Government has proclaimed its commitment to a gradual transition to a free market economy. It has achieved substantial progress in reducing inflation and the budget deficit. However, progress on privatization of the large state-owned enterprises that account for the bulk of gross domestic product remained slow, and a host of formal and informal barriers continued to constrain the nascent private sector. The Government's human rights record remained poor, and there were serious problems in several areas. Citizens cannot exercise their right to change their government peacefully. Chosen president in a 1991 election that most observers considered neither free nor fair, Karimov had his stay in office extended to 2000 by a 1995 Soviet-style referendum. Parliament subsequently voted to make the extension part of Karimov's first term, thus making him eligible to run again in 2000. Police and NSS forces used torture, harassment, illegal searches, and wiretaps, and arbitrarily detained or arrested opposition activists on false charges. They committed these and other abuses against both dissidents and other citizens, although reported abuses against dissidents decreased sharply. Arbitrary arrest and detention is common; even foreigners are not exempt. Police often beat criminal suspects, and detention can be prolonged. Prison conditions are poor. Although the Government says that it investigates abuses, those responsible for documented abuses rarely are punished. The judiciary does not always ensure due process and takes its direction from the executive branch. The Government severely limits freedom of speech and the press, and freedom of expression is constrained by an atmosphere of repression that makes it difficult to criticize the Government publicly. Although the Constitution expressly prohibits it, press censorship continues. The Government sharply restricts the importation of foreign print media. The Government limits freedom of assembly and association. The Government continues to ban unsanctioned public meetings and demonstrations. To control the political arena, the Government continues to deny registration to independent political parties and other groups potentially critical of the Government, and prevents unregistered opposition parties and movements from operating freely or publishing their views. The Government continued to decline to approve the registration application of the Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan, which has been seeking to register since 1992 citing technical deficiencies in its paperwork. The Government limits freedom of religion; it has harassed and arrested independent Islamic leaders on questionable grounds, citing the threat of Islamic extremism. It has also arrested and allegedly threatened evangelical leaders, and denied registration to Christian sects it does not accept. Despite a constitutional prohibition, there continues to be significant traditional societal discrimination and domestic violence against women. The pace of reform slowed during the year. Nevertheless, several potentially positive steps were taken. In April the Oliy Majlis passed legislation establishing an ombudsman's office. However, by year's end, the office had not yet demonstrated whether it could function in accordance with its legislative mandate and play an important role in monitoring human rights abuses. The Oliy Majlis also enacted legislation reforming the penal system and protecting the rights of prisoners. In April new laws providing increased access to information and protection of journalists were passed, and a mass media law passed in December, although the effects on press freedom remained unclear at year's end.