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Uzbekistan
Human Rights
Despite extensive constitutional protections, the Karimov government
has actively suppressed the rights of political movements, continues
to ban unsanctioned public meetings and demonstrations, and continues
to arrest opposition figures on fabricated charges. The atmosphere
of repression reduces constructive opposition and freedom of expression,
and continues to distort the political process, even when institutional
changes have been made. In the mid-1990s, legislation established
significant rights for independent trade unions, separate from
the government, and enhanced individual rights; but enforcement
is uneven, and the role of the state security services remains
central (see Internal Security, this ch.).
Amnesty International, the Human Rights Watch, and the United
States Department of State consistently have identified the human
rights record of Uzbekistan as among the worst in the former Soviet
Union. With the exception of sporadic liberalization, all opposition
movements and independent media are essentially banned in Uzbekistan.
The early 1990s were characterized by arrests and beatings of
opposition figures on fabricated charges. For example, one prominent
Uzbek, Ibrahim Bureyev, was arrested in 1994 after announcing
plans to form a new opposition party. After reportedly being freed
just before the March referendum, Bureyev shortly thereafter was
arrested again on a charge of possessing illegal firearms and
drugs. In April 1995, fewer than two weeks after the referendum
extending President Karimov's term, six dissidents were sentenced
to prison for distributing the party newspaper of Erk and inciting
the overthrow of Karimov. Members of opposition groups have been
harassed by Uzbekistan's secret police as far away as Moscow.
Data as of March 1996
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