Uzbek man kills himself after public humiliation over cotton quota
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 18 October 2013 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Uzbek man kills himself after public humiliation over cotton quota, 18 October 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/528b67701d.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. |
October 18, 2013
By RFE/RL's Uzbek Service
TASHKENT – A father of four has committed suicide after being forced to pick cotton then humiliated publicly for underperforming in the western region of Karakalpakistan.
Safarboy Karimov was found hanging from a tree early on October 18, just days after government officials berated him at a public meeting for not meeting a cotton-picking quota.
A witness at the meeting told RFE/RL's Uzbek Service that at least one official told Karimov he would be better off hanging himself than coming to another mandatory nightly meeting without meeting the quota.
Uzbeks who are forced to pick cotton have described to RFE/RL the intense official pressure that drives them to work past midnight to meet daily quotas and then rise at 5:00 a.m. to return to the fields.
Three other Uzbeks from the same region who were being forced to pick cotton fled Uzbekistan this week.
Uzbekistan is one of the world's biggest exporters of cotton, but child and other forced labor practices in its state-dominated cotton industry have prompted calls for global boycotts.
Uzbek authorities reported signing contracts worth $1 billion to sell cotton from its 2013 harvest at an annual cotton fair held in Tashkent on October 16-17.
China is its biggest cotton buyer.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
