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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Uzbekistan
Index
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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