European Forum

EU lifts sanctions on Uzbekistan despite human rights concerns

The European Union has lifted an arms embargo today against Uzbekistan, despite continuing concerns about human rights in the Central Asian country. The embargo was imposed in 2005, after Uzbek government troops killed more than 100 mainly unarmed opposition protesters in the city of Andijan, and the authorities rejected calls for an international inquiry into the events.

Signal to encourage regime and improve ties
The decision to lift the arms embargo comes after Uzbekistan released some political prisoners and abolished the death penalty. EU foreign ministers said the aim was to further encourage the Uzbek authorities to improve the rule of law and the human rights situation. Uzbekistan’s strategic position in Central Asia seems, however, to have been the main argument, together with its rich energy resources and a route for supplies for the Western military mission in Afghanistan.

Human rights activists strongly opposed
International human rights groups have strongly criticised the EU's move and urged it not to end sanctions. Groups like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International say the decision to end the sanctions fails not just the victims of Andijan and their families, but also dozens of human rights defenders and journalists who are still being harassed, tortured and detained today -a charge the government denies. "If the arms embargo is lifted without an investigation, the EU will be making a mockery of its own demands and the only form of international pressure over Uzbekistan will be gone," Amnesty International said last week.

EU foreign ministers said they remained seriously concerned about the human rights situation in Uzbekistan and would review it within a year. They called on the Uzbek authorities to release all jailed human rights defenders, guarantee freedom of speech and fight child labour.

Mutual interests
The decision removes an arms embargo, the last of the sanctions imposed over a crackdown on protesters in the town of Andijon in 2005, in which witnesses say government troops killed hundreds of protesters. The EU decided a year ago to lift visa bans on top Uzbek officials to reward what it said was progress in human rights but kept in place the arms embargo for another year. The EU, moreover, has been trying to improve ties with Central Asian states to help secure future energy supplies and diversify away from Russian gas and oil.
 
Uzbekistan, which borders Afghanistan, has shown signs of wanting better relations with Europe and allowed the transit of non-military supplies for U.S. troops in Afghanistan this year. But it rebuffed calls to do more to protect human rights during talks with the EU last month, when it told Brussels to improve its own rights record.


Sources: BBC; Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty; RIA Novosti