Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2014-10-23-Speech-4-082-000"
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"en.20141023.8.4-082-000"2
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"Madam President, Uzbekistan is very much a regular topic, no stranger to this House, but there is little sign that things in Uzbekistan are improving and, indeed, real evidence that individual states and the international community are turning a blind eye to flagrant abuses. Even recently we have heard from the International Labour Organization estimates that around about a million Uzbek adults and children have been pressed into forced labour within the cotton harvest, as well as flagrant abuses on the part of the regime.
Now this blind eye does go back a long way, and back in 2004 Craig Murray, who was the UK Ambassador to Uzbekistan at the time, uncovered evidence of a man who had been boiled to death by the regime for a refusal to give up his faith and pledge allegiance to the regime. This was verified by Glasgow University, but instead of applauding Mr Murray’s diligence the UK hounded him from office. This does go back a long way.
So if the UK and the Member States will not take the lead, the EU is in a position to do so. We have cleaner hands than most, perhaps, and I would refer the Commissioner to point 11 within the resolution stating that the EU should take the lead and table a UN Human Rights Council resolution under Item 4 establishing a dedicated country-specific mechanism for Uzbekistan. That strikes me as a positive contribution to continue pressure on the regime. Much as there are few signs of light, we must stick close to our principles or else Uzbekistan could become a breeding ground for – as we have heard – anti-establishment and extremism, and we must stick true to our principles. I would be grateful for the Commissionerʼs view on that suggestion."@en1
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