Memorial: The cancellation of sanctions against Uzbekistan is unjustified concession to dictatorship
On October 27 Moscow-based Memorial human rights center disseminated the press-release, where it criticized total cancellation of EU sanctions against Uzbekistan as "unjustified friendly move towards one of the most offensive dictatorships". It has to be reminded that arms embargo against Uzbekistan was removed at the session in Luxemburg. The sanctions were initiated by EU against Uzbek government in May of 2005 following the Andijan tragedy that included the embargo on arms, military equipment. Besides, EU named twelve Uzbek officials, responsible for massacre in Andijan, personae non grata in Europe as well as significantly reduced financial help to Tashkent and introduced trade restrictions.
Most of the sanctions were removed in November of 2008. EU motivated such decision by the fact that Uzbekistan demonstrated significant progress in the field of human rights. According to EU foreign ministers they cancelled the embargo to motivate Uzbek government to further improve the human rights situation in the republic.
However, in the opinion of Memorial center, "such decision not only deserves moral criticism but also strengthens the positions of radical Islamist groups in the region that use violent tools against the government".
Ferghana.Ru gives the statement of Memorial center below:
"The decision of European Union to abolish sanctions against Uzbekistan, introduced after the Andijan events, proves that, unfortunately, European politicians are ready to ignore systematic and brutal violation of human rights in this republic for the sake of geopolitical interests".
Uzbek government not only ignored the requirement to run independent investigation of the Andijan tragedy, where the governmental troops slaughtered hundreds of civilians, but also continued domestic mass repressions. The thousands of Uzbek Muslims are tortured and imprisoned due to faked charges. This year the repressions have been intensified and produced growing number of refugees. In the recent months the hundreds of Muslims were arrested under the pretext of fight against terrorism while many prisoners, convicted of religious extremism, received additional years to their sentences.
CIS countries continue receiving new requests to extradite unreasonably wanted Uzbek citizens back home. Meanwhile, EU human rights court clearly stated the extradition to Uzbekistan is inadmissible since in this country "bad treatment of prisoners is wide and permanent problem".
The government continues to put pressure on human rights organizations and journalists. Sixteen Uzbek activists remain in jail. The issue of allowing the opposition forces run in parliamentary and local elections, scheduled to the end of this year, is not even discussed.
On this background the cancellation of last, mainly nominal, sanctions against Uzbekistan (arms embargo) can be named as unjustified friendly move against one of the most offensive dictatorships. Such decision not only deserves moral criticism but also strengthens the positions of radical Islamist groups in the region that use violent tools against the government".