[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 89 (Friday, June 28, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1181-E1182]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              NEW LOWS FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN UZBEKISTAN

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 27, 2002

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, over the past several weeks, 
Uzbek authorities have increased the harassment and suppression of 
religious groups viewed as a threat to the government's control of 
society. Uzbek authorities have systematically sought to stifle all 
aspects of religious life, including Muslim and Christian. It is 
currently believed that nearly 7,000 individuals are jailed for alleged 
crimes related to their religious affiliation or beliefs. Human rights 
organizations estimate that during the past year Uzbek courts convicted 
roughly 30 people a week under trumped-up charges.
  Unfortunately, the list keeps growing. At the end of May, police 
arrested Yuldash Rasulov, a well-known human rights defender and devout 
Muslim. Rasulov's work through the Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan 
focused on government actions against Muslims choosing to worship 
outside the government-approved religious system. According to Human 
Rights Watch, officials charged Rasulov with ``religious extremism,'' 
claiming he recruited Islamic militants to work toward overthrowing the 
state. Notably, a search of his home reportedly found nothing of an 
incriminating nature. Since being arrested, Rasulov has been held in 
incommunicado detention.
  Authorities also targeted Musharaf Usamnova, the widow of a prominent 
Muslim activist Farhod Usmanov. Her husband was reportedly murdered in 
an isolation cell while in government custody in 1999. Uzbek officials 
arrested Musharaf in April, bringing over 50 men to ensure her capture, 
and her situation is unknown at this time. Soon thereafter, the 
government arrested several other women who were protesting the long 
prison sentences given to relatives and Muslim activists. The court 
sentenced these women to jail terms, some up to four years.
  Adding to the concern about the treatment of these individuals is the 
rampant torture throughout the Uzbek ``justice'' system. Once in 
custody, many are savagely tortured and beaten in hopes of securing 
self-incriminating statements or evidence against other suspects. To 
ensure convictions, police authorities plant evidence on innocent 
individuals, such as weapons, drugs or banned religious propaganda. 
Judges hand out harsh prison sentences, despite claims of pervasive 
torture. Furthermore, prison conditions are abominable, infested with 
disease and pestilence. Individuals imprisoned on religious offenses 
are reportedly treated extraordinarily harsh; persons wishing to pray 
are subjected to further beatings and harassment. Incommunicado 
detention and disappearances of individuals also occur.
  Also of serious concern are the extrajudicial executions that 
transpired over the past year. Human rights organizations reported on 
the deaths of five individuals while in police custody. Despite some 
Uzbek Government reports listing the cause of death as ``heart attack'' 
or ``brain tumor,'' the open wounds, broken bones and multiple bruises 
on the corpses

[[Page E1182]]

tell a very different story. Clearly, there is much cause to worry 
about the safety of all individuals in prison.
  Besides physical arrests, the legal regime governing religious groups 
is designed to repress religious activity. Through these laws and 
regulations, the government places religious groups in an untenable 
situation. The government seems to allow approved mosques to operate 
and permits Christian communities to exist in relative peace (if they 
do not attempt to proselytize indigenous groups not traditionally 
Christian). Otherwise, for other religious groups, obtaining official 
recognition is nearly impossible, and the real threat of government 
repression looms large.
  The 1998 Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations law 
instituted registration requirements designed to make achieving 
official recognition next to impossible. The 1999 amendments to the 
criminal code increased the importance of registration, as individuals 
attending an unregistered group are potentially subject to three to 
five years imprisonment for belonging to an ``illegal'' group. 
Individuals caught attending meetings of ``banned'' religious 
communities risk up to 20 years imprisonment. Uzbek courts frequently 
hand down lengthy prison sentences for alleged participation in illegal 
or banned groups. In addition, the religion law bans religious free 
speech and private religious instruction, and only permits government 
approved clerics to wear religious dress.
  In recent weeks, Uzbek authorities appear more willing to use these 
provisions to repress unwanted groups and silence dissent.
  Most recently, on May 25th, Uzbek officials raided the Mir Protestant 
Church in the Karakalpakstan region in western Uzbekistan. The raid, 
justified because the church is unregistered, interrupted a service and 
recorded the names of individuals representing local nationalities, 
such as Kazakhs and Uzbeks. Authorities ordered individuals of those 
ethnic groups to appear in court to explain their participation. While 
the court did not impose a fine, in a similar case in the same region, 
a court did fine four members of the New Life Church for violating the 
law on religious organizations.
  Similarly, due to an inability to register, the small Christian 
community in Muinak has been denied permission to meet. According to 
Keston News Service, church members are now forced to meet in secret. 
Furthermore, the leaders of the Jehovah's Witnesses in the town of 
Bukhara could be sentenced to five years in jail for leading an 
``illegal'' religious service, as their community is unregistered. In 
addition, in May a Tashkent court found a Jehovah's Witness guilty and 
fined him for illegal religious teaching when he was caught praying at 
a friend's funeral.
  Even more alarming was the request by the Uzbek Committee for 
Religious Affairs that Protestant groups stop preaching the Uzbek 
language, the country's official language.
  Mr. Speaker, the overall situation for religious freedom, and human 
rights generally, in Uzbekistan is bleak. Despite US involvement in the 
region, the recent increase of government efforts to suppress 
unrecognized religious groups is deeply troubling. Consequently, I urge 
the Uzbek Government to honor its commitments as a participating State 
in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

                          ____________________