Uzbekistan - 26 December 2004 Elections
Elections for the new bicameral parliament took place on December 26, 2004, resulting in election of 62 Deputies, and during the second round held on 9 January 2005, the remaining 58 Deputies of the Legislative Chamber were elected, thus filling all positions in the Chamber. But no truly independent opposition candidates or parties were able to take part. Independent political parties were allowed to organize, recruit members, and hold conventions and press conferences, but were denied registration under restrictive registration procedures. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) limited observation mission concluded that the elections fell significantly short of OSCE commitments and other international standards for democratic elections.
Khurshid Azimov, a 42-year old local lawyer who handled many of the human rights cases funded by the Swiss Legal Defense Fund, was assasinated in 2007. Reportedly, Azimov was drinking beer with friends near the Chorsu bazaar inlate June when an unidentified individual approached him and stabbed him in the arm with a syringe, injecting him with an unknown substance. Azimov speculated that his beer may have been laced with a sedative, which enabled his assailant to inject him with the syringe. Azimov was at first refused entry to several local hospitals. After spending several days at home with increasing symptoms, Azimov was finally admitted to a local hospital. On 08 July 2007, Azimov died. The incident sends a clear message to Uzbekistan's human rights defenders that they are not safe, and can be attacked even in one of Tashkent's most crowded locations.
Azimov was highly sought after by defendants' families, as he had a surprisingly strong record in getting suspended or alternative sentences for his clients. Since conviction rates in Uzbekistan are nearly 100 percent, the fact that Azimov was able to win suspended or alternative sentences for his clients, demonstrates his unusual success as a lawyer. In addition to being a lawyer, Azimov authored approximately 15 science fiction novels, but it is unknown how many, if any, were published.
During his early career, Azimov was a protege of Hamid Zainutdinov, a well-known lawyer who defended the political opposition and alleged religious extremists during the 1990s. Like Azimov, Zainutdinov also died in mysterious circumstances in 2001. Zainutdinov died on April 7, 2001 shortly after agreeing to defend Imam Abdulvahid Yuldashev and his assistant, Shukhrat Tadjibaev. The official cause of Zainutdinov's death was diabetes. But before he died, Zainutdinov reportedly told acquaintances that he had been poisoned by the authorities to prevent him from taking Yuldashev's case.
The 26 December 2004 election of Deputies to the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan fell significantly short of OSCE commitments and other international standards for democratic elections, despite minor improvements identified in the election law. The implementation of the election legislation by the authorities failed to ensure a pluralistic, competitive and transparent election. An analysis of the election platforms of the five registered political parties revealed no significant differences, and in general neither they, nor independent candidates nominated by initiative groups, provided the electorate with a genuine choice. Fundamental freedoms in Uzbekistan remain severely restricted, and the relevant principles necessary for a meaningful democratic election process, such as freedom of expression, association and assembly, were not respected.
Although there have been some minor improvements to the legislative framework, further significant improvements are necessary in order for Uzbekistan to be in compliance with its OSCE commitments, and other international standards for democratic elections. All of the principal laws governing the electoral process – the law on Elections for the Oliy Majlis, the law on Political Parties, the law on the Central Election Committee and the laws that regulate the functioning of the mass media - need to be thoroughly reviewed.
The election campaign was conducted in a very low-key manner, in part due to the limitations and restrictions imposed on the candidates by the law and by the authorities. Financing and material assistance is only permitted through, and funded by the State, and is allocated equally and dispersed through the election administration.
In the run-up to the elections, continued pressure seems to have been exerted on activists of opposition parties who were also involved in human rights groups defending individuals accused of extremism and subversion or of participation in public protest. Although not taking part in the elections, a number of opposition activists appear to have been harassed, detained and warned by the police. This contributed to the pervasive climate of fear and intimidation in which the election process was conducted. This was also reflected by some of the registered parties and their candidates, a number of whom were unwilling to discuss so-called “closed” topics.
In general, the election campaign was extremely low-key, and was conducted in a manner which negated the essence of an election campaign period. No outdoor rallies were permitted, and only very isolated examples of election material posted in public. Candidates of the five registered political parties took part in non-confrontational debate style television programs, and there were some election articles by candidates/parties in newspapers.
There was little evidence that the manner in which the campaign was regulated enjoyed broad support, or indeed the confidence, of all contestants or the voting public at-large. The prevailing mood of the public appeared to be one of lack of interest in, and alienation from, the election process. Apart from registered parties and officials, a more general perception of the election process appeared to be one of an unfair competition, or rather a non-competition.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
