Activities of Ilhan KYUCHYUK related to 2022/2195(INI)
Plenary speeches (2)
Uzbekistan (debate)
Uzbekistan (debate)
Reports (1)
REPORT on Uzbekistan
Amendments (26)
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 a (new)
Citation 18 a (new)
– having regard to the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission Final Report, 22 April 2022,
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas protests erupted in the Republic of Karakalpakstan on 1 July 2022 following the publication of the proposed amendments to Uzbekistan’s constitution, which would have abolished its status as a sovereign republic within Uzbekistan and its right to secede; whereas at least 21 people were killed in the ensuing crackdown by the authorities; whereas 22 people were sentenced on 13 January 2023 for their participation in the unrest and Dauletmurat Tajimuratov, a lawyer accused of leading the unrest, was sentenced to 16 years in prison; whereas on 7 February 2023 the trial started against another 39 people charged with participating in the protests were sentenced on 17 March 2023;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas in June 2022, the government of Uzbekistan published proposed constitutional amendments, including a provision that would enable the president to remain in office for another two seven-year terms;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas consensual same-sex relations between men remains criminalised under Article 120 of the current Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan, punishable with imprisonment for up to three years;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the completion of negotiations on the EU-Uzbekistan EPCA agreement, which creates a new, modern and ambitious framework for deepening bilateral relations; reiterates that the agreement puts a strong emphasis on shared values, democracy and the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms, and sustainable development; notes that it also lays the groundwork for enhanced cooperation in foreign and security policy, including on issues such as regional stability, digital connectivity, international cooperation and conflict prevention;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Calls for a swift completion of the necessary legal and technical procedures and for the signing of the EPCA, which would open the way for the Parliament to exercise its prerogatives regarding the ratification of the agreement;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes the ambitious reforms planned under the Development Strategy of New Uzbekistan for 2022-2026, which aims to achieve genuine change in the country in socioeconomic development, efficient administration and respect for human right, a more independent judicial system, and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; welcomes measures to improve the anti-corruption system; calls to include in the reforms agenda guarantees to religious and press freedoms; stresses that the constitutional reform is an opportunity to strengthen the rule of law and to give the reforms a solid legal foundation; calls on the authorities of Uzbekistan to continue this process in consultation with citizens and stakeholders, including the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe , based on international norms and best practices; notes that on 10 March 2023 the Legislative Chamber adopted a law calling for a constitutional referendum on 30 April 2023; supports the work of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), which opened a referendum observation mission on 28 March 2023 in order to assess the conduct of the referendum;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes the ambitious reforms planned under the Development Strategy of New Uzbekistan for 2022-2026, which aims to achieve genuine change in the country in socioeconomic development, efficient administration and respect for human rights; stresses that the constitutional reform is an opportunity to strengthen the rule of law and to give the reforms a solid legal foundation with access to free and open internet and media; calls on the authorities of Uzbekistan to continue this process in consultation with citizens and stakeholders, including the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe , based on international norms and best practices;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that Uzbekistan is uniquely positioned to be the driving force for regional cooperation that would help Central Asia become a more resilient, prosperous and more closely interconnected economic and political space; encourages the EU to intensify its political, economic and security engagements with Central Asia in line with its geostrategic importance and in keeping with the values of democracy, human rights and rule of law that underpin EU external action; underlines the great potential of mutually beneficial cooperation on sustainable and digital connectivity, in particular through its Global Gateway on initiative, energy, water and security, while supporting new supply-chain hubs in Uzbekistan for regional integration;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Calls on the Commission to finalise the study on sustainable transport corridors connecting Europe with Central Asia, which was launched at the end of 2021 and is implemented by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and which aims to identify the most sustainable transport corridors and to propose key actions for corridor development;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recognises that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its implications present both challenges and opportunities for Uzbekistan and other Central Asian states, which have traditionally maintained close relations with Russia; notes that Uzbekistan abstained in the votes on the United Nations General Assembly resolutions on Ukraine, in particular those of 2 March 2022, 24 March 2022 and 23 February 2023 demanding an end to the Russian offensive and immediate withdrawal from Ukraine; notes that Uzbekistan opposed the expulsion of Russia from the UN Human Rights Council on 7 April 2022; notes the commitment of the political leadership of Uzbekistan not to allow the circumvention of sanctions imposed on Russiaat the same time that the Uzbek authorities rejected the declaration of independence of Donetsk and Luhansk republics; notes the commitment of the political leadership of Uzbekistan not to allow the circumvention of sanctions imposed on Russia and encourages the authorities to clearly condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in line with the international community; welcomes recent initiatives taken by the business community in Uzbekistan with regards to sanctions and calls for enhanced cooperation between the EU and Uzbekistan in this field;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Notes Uzbekistan’s long-standing and close relations with Afghanistan, which have continued after the takeover by Taliban; commends its efforts to mitigate the severe humanitarian crisis in the country through the provision of humanitarian aid and electricity; invites Uzbekistan to use its contacts with the Taliban to call for respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Afghans, in particular women, girls and minorities, which are essential conditions for greater international engagement with Afghanistan, including through connectivity to support human rights and prevent the effects of regional radicalisation and conflict-induced migration; reiterates its strong condemnation of the Taliban’s decisions to ban women and girls from attending secondary and university education and to prohibit the employment of women with non-governmental organisations and the United Nations;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Welcomes the agreement of 27 January 2023 between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan on the delimitation of the border between the two countries, which settles the outstanding issues between the two sides and completes a process that lasted three decades; equally welcomes the agreement of 22 December 2022 between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan on the demarcation of the Kazakh-Uzbek state border, which is the result of 19 years of negotiations;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Welcomes Uzbekistan’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and its actions to mobilise global support to tackle the consequences of the desiccation and salinisation of the Aral Sea; Encourages further regional and global cooperation to find potential solutions to the Aral Sea environmental disaster;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Regrets the loss of life during protests in the Republic of Karakalpakstan on 1 and 2 July 2022; calls on the authorities to investigate the actions of the security services that led toestablish a genuinely independent, impartial, and effective investigation into the events, including into the deaths and severe injuries among the protesters andthat occurred and the actions taken by the security forces; calls on the authorities to bring those responsible to justice; calls for the independence and transparency of the judicial process to be ensured in the cases linked to the protests; welcomes the Uzbek authorities’ commitment to maintaining the current constitutional status of Karakalpakstan;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls on the government to ensure the security and non-discrimination of LGBTI people in Uzbekistan;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Calls on the government to restart the reform of the Criminal Code in line with international human rights standards and the recommendations of UN treaty bodies;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Underlines the important role that civil society can play in supporting effective and inclusive reforms and good governance; regrets the barriers to NGO registration and the obligations imposed on NGOs receiving foreign funding by the Regulation on Coordination Between Non- Governmental Non-Commercial Organisations and Public Authorities in the Implementation of International Grant Projects approved by Decree No 328 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan on 13 June 2022, which shrink the space for civil society activities and impede the exercise of the freedom of association; underlines that the barrier to NGO registration will also affect EU-Uzbekistan business relations since EU and Member States’ due diligence legislation will require NGO monitoring capacity;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Calls on the government of Uzbekistan to allow independent human rights organizations, including international human rights groups, to register in the country and to adopt an NGO code in line with international standards;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses the need to ensure respect for the rights of journalists, independent bloggers, content producers and human rights defenders and their protection against harassment, pressure and threats and to investigate any attacks against them, including the promotion of Uzbek language media and enhanced digital training programs against disinformation also based on the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Digital Services Act (DSA);
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Notes that despite the adoption of a number of laws, including the Law on Protection of Women from Harassment and Violence of 2019, gender-based violence against women remains widespread; regrets that domestic violence is not defined or specifically criminalised in Uzbekistan’s legislation; calls on the authorities to takecontinue taking measures to bring Uzbekistan into line with its obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, as indicated in the concluding observations on the sixth periodic report of Uzbekistan by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women; welcomes the recent legislative measures in Uzbekistan on providing women and children with greater legal protection against gender-based violence; calls on Uzbek authorities to continue working with local and international civil society organisations and international partners to address these issues;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Notes that the definitions of extremism and terrorism remain vague and overbroad, leading to arbitrary detention and undue restriction to the right of freedom of religion or belief; recommends that the related legal provisions are narrowly and precisely drafted, in line with the recommendations of the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)
Paragraph 10 c (new)
10c. Welcomes progress towards the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) and encourages the authorities to complete this process as soon as possible;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 d (new)
Paragraph 10 d (new)
10d. Calls on the government to protect the right to freedom of religion and to amend the 2021 religion law in accordance with recommendations issued by the former UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief in a report from 29 March 2023;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 e (new)
Paragraph 10 e (new)
10e. Welcomes the entry into force on 11 April 2023 of legislation which introduces important provisions aimed at protecting women and children against violence, including by criminalising domestic violence, and calls to ensure its effective implementation;