Uzbekistan: Journalist Sergei Naumov Detained, after Reporting on Forced Labor

We urge the Government of Uzbekistan to immediately grant full due process rights to Sergei Naumov, the Uzbek journalist who was detained by authorities on September 21 and is being detained on a 12-day sentence for “petty hooliganism.” The Uzbek government’s detention of Sergei is a misguided attempt to silence the Uzbek citizens who report on human rights abuses, including government-orchestrated forced labor in cotton production. The case raises serious concerns about the Government’s intentions to interfere with the International Labour Organization mission that began monitoring the cotton harvest days before Sergei’s arrest.

On 21 September, Sergei Naumov phoned a friend to say he had been arrested. For three days, the police refused to disclose his whereabouts. On September 24, Mr. Naumov’s colleagues obtained court documents that state he was convicted and sentenced for alleged verbal abuse and inappropriate contact with a woman on the street. Mr. Naumov denies the allegations, and the court ruling was based on witnesses who were unnamed and did not testify in court. After being detained incommunicado for three days, Mr. Naumov continues to be denied access to a lawyer or his family. 

A week before Sergei’s arrest, 6-year old Amirbek Rachmatow suffocated under a pile of cotton, the third fatality in the first two weeks of this year’s cotton harvest. No one noticed little Amirbek sleeping in the trailer until the cotton had already been unloaded on top of him. The boy had accompanied his mother to pick cotton, to meet her quota, along with the hundreds of thousands coercively mobilized to the cotton fields by the Uzbek government this September. The world knows of such tragic impacts of the forced-labor system due to the work of Sergei Naumov and his colleagues, the journalists and human rights activists who document and report them, despite Uzbek government repression.

The Uzbek government’s incommunicado detention of Sergei fits a pattern of harassing and detaining human rights activists. Three days after Sergei Naumov’s arrest, authorities sentenced Bobomurad Razzakov, chairman of the Bukhara region branch of the Society for Human Rights in Uzbekistan “Ezgulik”, to four years imprisonment. During the 2012 cotton harvest, authorities arrested Gulshan Karaeva of the Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan and detained human rights activist Uktam Pardayev incommunicado for 15 days. In each case, authorities trumped up charges to silence another Uzbek citizen documenting and reporting on government-orchestrated forced labor.

We are deeply concerned about the fate of Sergei Naumov and all citizens of Uzbekistan working to hold their government accountable for the rule of law. We call on the Uzbek government to immediately grant Naumov access to independent counsel and permit him to contact relatives and friends. And we urge Uzbekistan’s international diplomatic and business partners to condition their relationships with Tashkent on its ending its human rights abuses, including wrongful detention and forced labor. 

More reporting on Sergei Naumov’s case:
Association for Human Rights in Central Asia, http://nadejda-atayeva-en.blogspot.com/
Human Rights Watch, http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/09/24/uzbekistan-journalist-forcibly-disappeared
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, http://www.osce.org/fom/105392
Reporters Without Borders, http://www.trust.org/item/20130923125113-rpyi0/?source=hppartner

Uzbekistan: Freelance journalist and human rights activist Sergey Naumov is under a 12 days arrest for “hooliganism”

On 24 September 2013 Sergey Naumov was located at the Reception Centre of  Urgench City Department of Internal Affairs where he is being detained on the basis of a court decision under the Article 183 (Disorderly Conduct) of the Code of Republic of Uzbekistan on Administrative Responsibility.

Sergey NAUMOV

Sergey NAUMOV, date of birth 7 March 1963, a citizen of Uzbekistan.

He is a freelance journalist, works in cooperation with international news agency “Fergana.Ru”, Institute for War and Peace Reporting, journal published by the Academy of Science of Uzbekistan “Ecological Safety and Civil Initiative” (“Fan” (Science) publishing house), and “Politzhurnal” (Moscow, Russia). Naumov is the recipient of  numerous journalist awards.

From the decision of the Urgench  City Court it became known that on 21 September 2013, in a public hearing presided over by the Judge A. Aminova, assisted by  secretary N. Bobodzhanov, in the presence of: the Urgench City Assistant Prosecutor G. Kutimov, the “victim” D. Matyakubova, the “offender” S. Naumov and the interpreter G. Rozanova, considered the case of a “violation” of Article 183 of the Administrative Code of Uzbekistan.

According to the Court, on 21 September 2013 at 16:00, D. Matyakubova, who was walking to a pharmacy, came face to face with Sergey Naumov near the house No. 20 of Al-Horizmi Street and Naumov began to pick on her;​ he grabbed her breasts and verbally abused her. The Court found that this alleged action committed by him qualifies as a “disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace” (Article 183 of the Administrative Code of Uzbekistan).

During the cross examination, in presence of the “victim”, Sergey Naumov pleaded not guilty. According to him, he, unwittingly, ran into D. Matyakubova on the street. He also denies insulting her and touching her. Naumov said that he did not do anything against the public order.

The “Victim” D. Matyakubova was indignant with Sergey Naumov for denying the evidence given by her and decided “not to forgive” him, she asked the Court to “punish him to the fullest extent of the law”.

According to the Court, an official contemporaneous note taken at the scene and the statements of witnesses, whose names are not included in the Court’s Decision, established  S. Naumov’s “guilt”.

The Court sentenced Sergey Naumov to arrest of 12 days in accordance with the Article 183 of the Administrative Code of Uzbekistan. The decision came into force at 18:00 hours on 21 September 2013. The Court also decided to collect 15% of costs from S. Naumov. The Decision can be appealed within 10 days.

In the light of the above mentioned, the Association  for Human Rights in Central Asia notes that the hearing of the administrative case against Sergey Naumov, in respect of the Article 183, was conducted in violation of the principles of objectivity and fairness.

The court did not identify the Prosecutor’s witnesses by name and did not take into account the evidence given by the witnesses provided by the accused, S. Naumov; also, he was not provided with a copy of the case materials before the hearing. Sergei Naumov has a lawyer who took on the case on 24 September 2013, however, the lawyer has not yet been allowed to see the defendant.

This lawsuit against Sergei Naumov has got all of the hallmarks of a farce and politically motivated case, his right to defence is breached.

Previous publication(s) on this case:

     - Press Release “Uzbekistan:Freelance journalist and human rights activist Sergey Naumov is missing” dated 22 September 2013.

Ms. Constance Thomas

Director, International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC)

International Labour Office

Route des Morillons, 4

CH – 1211 Geneva

Switzerland

Dear Ms. Thomas,

We appreciate the efforts of the International Labour Organization to promote the application of ILO conventions in Uzbekistan. As a global coalition of business, labour and human rights organization, we have long advocated for high-level, tripartite ILO monitoring of the cotton sector, which is a vital first step towards ending forced labour and forced child labour in Uzbekistan. We are pleased that the ILO has begun monitoring this year’s harvest. Yet we remain deeply concerned that the Uzbek government has prevented unfettered access for the ILO and that the people of Uzbekistan are unable to fully participate in the monitoring.

The root cause of forced labour and forced child labour in Uzbekistan is the state-order system, under which the government coerces both adults and children to grow and harvest cotton. It is undeniable that the state-organized, coercive mobilization of over a million children and adults to work in the cotton fields in Uzbekistan is forced labour for economic development on a massive scale. Already this year, Uzbek civil society has documented clear instances of forced labour. In the spring, authorities mobilised children and adults to plough and weed,[1] and authorities beat farmers for planting onions instead of cotton[2]. Prior to this school year, administrators required parents to sign commitments that their children would pick cotton in order to register for school.[3] Starting September 6, authorities mobilised teachers, doctors and other public-sector workers to pick cotton or pay fines.[4] Starting September 10, high-school and university students have been sent to pick cotton, and government officials have ordered business owners to send their employees, contribute financially, or face tax inspections.[5] On September 16, 200,000 people were sent to the fields from Tashkent city alone,[6] and government officials have mobilized one-fifth of all public-sector workers in Syrdarya region.[7]

It is vital that the ILO take these reports seriously, as evidence that the government has not demonstrated its commitment to end forced labour. Already, Uzbek citizens have reported that authorities have instructed them to tell international monitors ‘we came to pick cotton voluntarily in order to help our government, to raise the economy of the country and work hard for our motherland.’[8] This raises serious concerns that Uzbek government participation in on-the-ground monitoring is having a chilling effect on Uzbek citizens’ willingness to speak openly with the ILO monitors

Again, we emphasize the vital importance of unfettered monitoring, which we see as independent of government interference, timely access to all locations, full participation of civil society, and tripartite validation. Given these concerns and that the root cause of child labour is the forced-labour system, we urge you to raise the level of transparency of the ongoing ILO monitoring mission in Uzbekistan: first by making public the implementation plan and survey instruments, second by taking into account reports from independent civil society, and third by ensuring the findings are validated with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and International Organisation of Employers (IOE).

By taking these important steps we believe that the mission can be an effective first step toward eliminating the root causes of forced labour and forced child labour in Uzbekistan.

Sincerely,

The Cotton Campaign

Advocates for Public Interest Law

American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations

American Federation of Teachers

Anti-Slavery International

Association for Human Rights in Central Asia

Calvert Investments

European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights

Human Rights Watch

International Labor Rights Forum

Open Society Foundations

Responsible Sourcing Network

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[1] Uzbek-German Forum for Human Rights, Chronicle of Forced Labour, Issue 1, June 5, 2013, http://uzbekgermanforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Reports-from-the-cotton-fields-Issue-1-2013.pdf (accessed 20 September 2013).

[2] “Vice-governor beats 8 people at government meeting in Uzbekistan,” CA-News.org, 26 April 2013, http://www.cottoncampaign.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/CA-NEWS_-Vice-governor-beats-8-people-at-government-meeting-in-Uzbekistan.pdf (accessed 20 September 2013).

[3] Uzbek-German Forum for Human Rights, Chronicle of Forced Labour, Issue 2, August 26, 2013, http://uzbekgermanforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/2-Cotton-Chronicle-2-20132.pdf (accessed 20 September 2013).

[4] Uzbek-German Forum for Human Rights, Chronicle of Forced Labour, Issue 3, September 9, 2013, http://uzbekgermanforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/3-Cotton-Chronicle-2013.pdf (accessed 20 September 2013).

[5] Uzbek-German Forum for Human Rights, Chronicle of Forced Labour, Issue 4, September 19, 2013, http://uzbekgermanforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/4-Cotton-Chronicle-2013.pdf (accessed 23 September 2013).

[6] Initiative Group of Independent Human Rights Defenders of Uzbekistan (IGIHRDU), 16 September 2013, http://ca-news.org/news:1080594/ (accessed 16 September 2013).

[7] Uzbek-German Forum for Human Rights, Chronicle of Forced Labour, Issue 4, September 19, 2013, http://uzbekgermanforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/4-Cotton-Chronicle-2013.pdf (accessed 23 September 2013).

[8] Ibid.

Uzbekistan: Freelance journalist and human rights activist Sergey Naumov is missing

On 21 September 2013, at approximately 19:00 hours, a journalist and human rights activist Sergey Naumov phoned a colleague and said that he was detained by police. His location is still not known. The case of Sergey Naumov requires an urgent intervention by the international community.

Our colleague, a freelance journalist and human rights activist Sergey Naumov, who lives in the city of Urgench of the Khorezm Region of Uzbekistan is missing. His phones are not responding, his neighbours and friends have not seen him for the last two days.

On 21 September 2013, at about 19:00 hours, Naumov phoned a colleague and said that he was detained by the police department. Where, by whom, and why he was arrested, is still unknown. Hayitboy Yakubov, the head of the Khorezm Region human rights organisation “Najot”, requested information from the Urgench City Police Department and the local police department where Naumov is registered as a resident, the Persecutor’s Office and the National Security Service of Uzbekistan. Everywhere, he was told that Sergei Naumov does not appear in the lists of detainees.

Sergey Naumov

Sergey NAUMOV, date of birth 7 March 1963, a citizen of Uzbekistan.

He is:

– a freelance journalist, works in cooperation with international news agency “Fergana.Ru”, Institute for War and Peace Reporting, journal published by the Academy of Science of Uzbekistan “Ecological Safety and Civil Initiative” (“Fan” (Science) publishing house), and “Politzhurnal” (Moscow, Russia).

– the winner of the national contest for “Best online publication on a political issue”;

– the winner of the national on contest environmental journalism in the category “Environmental Protection” in 2005;

– the winner of the national contest “The UN Conventions on Ecology” in 2006;

– author of screenplay of film “07.07.07” about the ecological disaster in the Aral Sea region created in cooperation with “Wilton Films” (Britain) in 2007;

– a member of the filming crew of a FIDH film about М. Tadjibaeva, a human rights activist, in 2008;

– a member of the filming crew of an “Amnesty International” film about М. Tadjibaeva, a human rights activist, in 2008;

– co-author of the Report on the state of freedom of speech, expression and of the press inUzbekistan for the session of the UN Council on Human Rights under the UPR Procedure, December 2008;

– the winner of the national competition for the best coverage of the Uzbek-American relations in 2009;

Sergey Naumov is the author and a participant of the following projects in the field of development of the mass-media:

а) “Airwaves for businesswomen”, carried out by the Association of Businesswomen of the Khorezm Region under the Small Grants Programme of the Netherlands Embassy in Moscow, 1998;

b) “Promotion of Reproductive Health as a Factor in Poverty Reduction” executed by the Khorezm Region branch of the Uzbek Association of Reproductive Health under the grant from the World Bank, 2002;

c) three documentaries, “No one’s River”, “Waves of Sadness”, “Zarafshan – the pain of Bukhara”, filmed in the framework of the program “Support for public participation in the Central Asian Initiative on Sustainable Development”, funded by the European Union, 2005.

Naumov is also the author and a participant of the projects for:

d) Journalists’ Centre “Intercontact” (“Healthy City” – the Small Grants Programme of the Netherlands Embassy in Moscow; “SOS: Ecology!” funded by the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC);

e) the initiative group – “Dono” and the youth club “Nadejda” (Hope) funded by the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia, 2001-2003.

* * *

The disappearance of Sergey Naumov is causing a particular concern, because he has been repeatedly threatened by the law enforcement agencies of Uzbekistan. These anonymous threats were repeated over the phone and the Internet. Naumov annoyed the Uzbek authorities most by his continuous  interest in the effects of forced labour, the environmental situation in the Aral Sea and the unlawful forced relocation of residents of the Urgench City. Sergei Naumov is a law-abiding person and enjoys the confidence of the large number of population.

The case of Sergey Naumov requires an urgent intervention of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the European Union Special Representative for Human Rights, the Special Rapporteur of the European Union for Central Asia and other international organisations, diplomats of democratic countries.

The Association for Human Rights in Central Asia (AHRCA) urges all interested parties, organisations and the media to draw attention to the fate of the journalist Sergey Naumov and make every effort to bring about his early release.

The Association for Human Rights in Central Asia (AHRCA) draws the attention of the international community to the fact that the lack of information on the whereabouts of Sergey Naumov is contrary to the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the commitments made by this country by ratification of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Articles 9, 10, 14, 19, 26), the UN Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognised Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and the UN Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment (principles 1 2, 4, 6, 12, 21).

The Association for Human Rights in Central Asia (AHRCA) emphasises that our colleague is in danger and in need of support.

Leading Uzbek Human Rights Organizations Call on the World Bank to Investigate Loan Supporting the Agricultural Sector in Uzbekistan, which is Underpinned by Forced Labour

Formal Complaint Filed with the World Bank Inspection Panel

(Washington, DC) – September 5, Association for Human Rights in Central Asia, Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan “Ezgulik” and Uzbek-German Forum for Human Rights filed a formal complaint to the World Bank Inspection Panel. These organizations, representing Uzbek citizens who have suffered under the state-organized system of forced labour cotton production, requested an investigation of the World Bank’s Rural Enterprise Support Project Phase II (RESP-II). The Bank has failed to prevent World Bank funds from contributing to government orchestrated forced labour, stated the three leading Uzbek human rights organizations.

“The World Bank should be supporting sustainable rural development in Uzbekistan, beginning with the eradication of forced labour,” said Nadejda Atayeva, Association for Human Rights in Central Asia (AHRCA). “World Bank lending to the Uzbek agriculture sector has only facilitated the continued suffering by our children, students, and adults, who are forced to produce cotton each year,” said Umida Niyazova, Uzbek-German Forum for Human Rights (UGF).

For decades, the government of Uzbekistan under President Islam Karimov, who has ruled since 1989, has forced millions of children, teachers, public servants and private sector employees to pick cotton under appalling conditions. Those who refuse are expelled from school, fired from their jobs, denied public benefits or worse. Authorities detain and harass activists seeking to monitor the situation. During the Spring 2013, authorities mobilised children and adults to plough and weed, and authorities beat farmers for planting onions instead of cotton. In August, authorities initiated preparations to coercively mobilize nurses, teachers and other public sector workers to harvest cotton.

The World Bank approved funding for the RESP-II in 2008 and 2012. While World Bank Management has repeatedly stated that the Project’s aim is to diversify agricultural production, it is not possible for the World Bank to finance agricultural projects without supporting the state-order system of cotton production, which is underpinned by forced labour.

“The fact remains that all farmers are required to fulfill annual quotas of cotton production in order to maintain the lease of their land, their livelihood,” said Ms. Niyazova, UGF.  “In several meetings, the World Bank has been unable to identify any action taken to ensure that its loans are not supporting the cotton sector and its forced-labour system of production.”

As the complaint details, the World Bank ignored the issue of state-sponsored forced labour in the RESP-II Social Assessment, carried out prior to the project, and has since failed to conduct due diligence to ensure that the project does not contribute to this problem. The only assessment of social impacts of RESP-II was wrought with internal contradictions and outright falsehoods. The Bank continues to assert that it is addressing the problem of “child labor” through educating farmers, ignoring the facts that the system of forced labour is organized by the government, not the farmers.

Attempts to engage the World Bank were met with dismissals of the concern, denials of responsibility, and refusal to share basic information. Instead of conducting desperately needed human rights due diligence, the Bank listed as a risk associated with the project, “[e]xternal NGOs may continue raising child labor issue with the Bank” as a risk associated with the project.

“The only clear message to the Uzbek people from the World Bank has been ignoring our rights,” stated Ms. Atayeva, AHRCA. “We demand that the Inspection Panel immediately investigate the facts relating to the RESP-II project.”

The complaint is available online at: http://uzbekgermanforum.org/human-rights-organizations-call-on-the-world-bank-to-reevaluate-funding-in-uzbekistan/

CONTACTS:
          In Germany, for Uzbek-German Forum for Human Rights, Umida Niyazova, +49-17687-532684, umida.niyazova@uzbekgermanforum.org (English, Russian, Uzbek)
          In France, for Association Human Rights in Central Asia, Nadejda Atayeva, +33.61.746.1963, n.atayeva@gmail.com (Uzbek, Russian, French)
          In United States, for Cotton Campaign, Matthew Fischer-Daly, +1.347.266.1351, cottoncampaigncoordinator@gmail.com(English, Spanish)

Statement from the Cotton Campaign on the Start of the Cotton Harvest in Uzbekistan

The 2013 cotton harvest is underway in Uzbekistan. The Uzbek Cotton Industry Association “Uzkhlopkoprom” estimatesa total harvest of 3.35 million tons, making Uzbekistan the 6th largest cotton producer and 2nd largest cotton exporter in the world. Yet Uzbek citizens continue to suffer human rights abuses under the state-controlled cotton industry.

We are pleased that this year the International Labour Organization (ILO) expects to deploy teams to Uzbekistan to monitor during the harvest. We remain concerned that the ILO monitors will be accompanied by representatives of the Government of Uzbekistan and the official state union and employers’ organizations, whose presence will have a chilling effect on Uzbek citizens’ willingness to speak openly with the ILO monitors. Therefore, we encourage the ILO to make every effort possible to obtain independent information, publicly report all findings and any interference by Uzbek Government, and validate the findings and monitoring process with the International Trade Union Confederation and International Organisation of Employers.

Since 2010 the tripartite ILO Committee on the Application of Standards has recommended a high-level, tripartite ILO monitoring mission. Such a mission would include tripartite oversight, independent civil-society participation, a mandate to address forced labour and child labour and public reporting. While the ILO monitors will not have unfettered access this year, we will support the ILO in their effort.

Cotton production in Uzbekistan is a state orchestrated forced-labour system. The Government of Uzbekistan forces over a million children, teachers, public servants and private sector employees to pick cotton under appalling conditions each year. Those who refuse are expelled from school, fired from their jobs, and denied public benefits or worse. The Government harasses and detains citizens seeking to monitor the situation. During the Spring 2013, Government authorities mobilised children and adults to plough and weed, and authorities beatfarmers for planting onions instead of cotton. In August, authorities initiated preparations to coercively mobilize nurses, teachers and other public sector workers to harvest cotton.

Reports from independent Uzbek citizens who document the cotton harvest will be posted regularly at:

http://uzbekgermanforum.org/category/cotton-chronicle/ and

http://www.cottoncampaign.org/reports/.

The Cotton Campaign:

Advocates for Public Interest Law

American Apparel and Footwear Association

American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations

American Federation of Teachers

Anti-Slavery International

Aquinas Associates

Association for Human Rights in Central Asia

Calvert Investments

Catholic Health East

Child Labor Coalition

Domini Social Investments

European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights

Expert Working Group

Freedom House

Gonggam Human Rights Law Foundation

Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan “Ezgulik”

Human Rights Watch

International Labor Rights Forum

Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate –

Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Office

National Consumers League

National Retail Federation

Open Society Foundations

Responsible Sourcing Network

Retail Industry Leaders Association

Sisters of St Francis of Philadelphia

Solidarity Center

Stop the Traffik Australia

Synod of Victoria and Tasmania, Uniting Church in Australia

United States Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel

Uzbek German Forum for Human Rights

Walden Asset Management

Uzbekistan: A Happy Birthday to Murad Djuraev! We wish you good health and freedom

On 5 September 2013 Uzbek political prisoner Murad Djuaev turned 61. He has spent 19 years of his life in prison being convicted on trumped-up charges. 

Murad Djuraev

Murad Djuraev was born in 1952 in the town of Mubarak of Kashkadarya region. He is ethnic Turkmen, married and has three children. He graduated from the Tashkent Polytechnic Institute. Between 1989 and 1992 he worked as the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the City Council of the town of Mubarek. Between 1991-1992 he was a member of Parliament of Uzbekistan.

He was accused of conspiring with the leader of the opposition political party "Erk" Muhammad Salih. According to the investigators, they wanted to organise a violent seizure of power.

Murad Djuraev has been in prison sense 18 September 1994.