But the funding for this vital project, of so much importance to bring pressure on the parties to the war to stop their abuse of civilians, has not been forthcoming. We therefore urge the Commission to move promptly to seek special earmarked funding for the placement of three human rights monitors according to the Special Rapporteur's plan. The primary targets of government repression are peaceful dissenters, leaders of the independent Islamic community and human rights monitors. They suffer arrest, often on falsified drug and weapons charges, arbitrary detention, beatings and kidnapping, constant threats and surveillance, and blacklisting that keeps even released political prisoners living on the brink of poverty and effectively unable to continue their dissident activities. The small human rights community has been repressed, and the only functioning, indigenous, non-governmental monitoring group was refused government registration.
Police brutality is common, particularly during the arrest and investigation stages.
Since the fall of 1994, the Government has taken numerous steps towards improving its international image as a serious abuser of human rights. Among other things, it adopted a constitution enshrining basic rights and acceded to some international human rights covenants. Such manipulation reveals a disappointing degree of cynicism and bodes ill for the country's ability to implement lasting reform. Human Rights Watch calls on the Commission on Human Rights formally to express concern about the repressive practices in Uzbekistan. We also urge the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, and the Special Rapporteur on the question of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment to conduct investigations and report to the Commission on Human Rights at its fifty-third session.