IV 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 32 
Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to human rights in Central 
Asia. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 11, 2003 
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN (for herself and Mr. LANTOS) submitted the following 
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Inter-
national Relations 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to human 
rights in Central Asia. 
Whereas 
the 
Central 
Asian 
nations 
of 
Kazakhstan, 
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan 
provided the United States with important assistance in 
the war in Afghanistan, from military basing and over-
flight rights to the facilitation of humanitarian relief; 
Whereas America’s victory over the Taliban in turn provided 
important benefits to the Central Asian nations, remov-
ing a regime that threatened their security, and signifi-
cantly weakening the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, a 
terrorist organization that had previously staged armed 
raids from Afghanistan into the region;
•HCON 32 IH 
Whereas the United States has consistently urged the nations 
of Central Asia to open their political systems and econo-
mies and to respect human rights, both before and since 
the attacks of September 11, 2001; 
Whereas Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, 
and Uzbekistan are members of the United Nations and 
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe 
(OSCE), both of which confer a range of human rights 
obligations on their members; 
Whereas, according to the Department of State, the Govern-
ment of Kazakhstan harasses and monitors independent 
media and human rights activists, restricts freedom of 
association and opposition political activity, has engaged 
in selective prosecution of opposition leaders, and allows 
security forces to commit extrajudicial executions, tor-
ture, and arbitrary detention with impunity; 
Whereas, according to the Department of State, the Govern-
ment of Kyrgyzstan engages in arbitrary arrest and de-
tention, restricts the activities of political opposition fig-
ures, religious organizations deemed ‘‘extremist’’, human 
rights activists, and nongovernmental organizations, and 
discriminates against ethnic minorities, and recently con-
ducted a flawed constitutional referendum that will fur-
ther concentrate power in the presidency and weaken the 
role of civil society; 
Whereas, according to the Department of State, the Govern-
ment of Tajikistan remains authoritarian, curtailing free-
doms of speech, assembly, and association, with security 
forces committing extrajudicial executions, kidnappings, 
disappearances, and torture;
•HCON 32 IH 
Whereas, 
according 
to 
the 
Department 
of 
State, 
Turkmenistan is a Soviet-style one-party state centered 
around the glorification of its president, which engages in 
serious human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrest 
and detention, severe restrictions of personal privacy, re-
pression of political opposition, and restrictions on free-
dom of speech and nongovernmental activity, and most 
recently has engaged in sweeping arrests and summary 
convictions, as well as torturing of suspects, in the after-
math of the attack on the President’s motorcade and has 
refused to cooperate with the OSCE fact-finding mission; 
Whereas, according to the Department of State, the Govern-
ment of Uzbekistan continues to commit serious human 
rights abuses, including arbitrary arrest, detention and 
torture in custody, particularly of Muslims who practice 
their religion outside state controls, to severely restrict 
freedom of speech, the press, religion, independent polit-
ical activity, and nongovernmental organizations, and de-
tains over 7,000 people for political or religious reasons; 
Whereas the United States Commission on International Reli-
gious Freedom has expressed concern about religious per-
secution in the region, recommending that Turkmenistan 
be named a ‘‘Country of Particular Concern’’ under the 
International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, and that 
Uzbekistan be placed on a special ‘‘Watch List’’; 
Whereas, by continuing to suppress human rights and to 
deny citizens peaceful, democratic means of expressing 
their convictions, the nations of Central Asia risk fueling 
popular support for violent and extremist movements, 
thus undermining the goals of the war on terrorism; 
Whereas President Bush has made the defense of ‘‘human 
dignity, the rule of law, limits on the power of the state,
•HCON 32 IH 
respect for women and private property and free speech 
and equal justice and religious tolerance’’ strategic goals 
of United States foreign policy in the Islamic world, ar-
guing that ‘‘a truly strong nation will permit legal ave-
nues of dissent for all groups that pursue their aspira-
tions without violence’’; and 
Whereas Congress has expressed its desire to see deeper re-
form in Central Asia in resolutions and other legislation, 
most recently conditioning assistance to Uzbekistan on 
its progress in meeting human rights and democracy 
commitments to the United States: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) 
the 
Governments 
of 
Kazakhstan, 
Kyrgyzstan, 
Tajikistan, 
Turkmenistan, 
and 
Uzbekistan should accelerate democratic reforms 
and fulfill their human rights obligations, including, 
where appropriate, by— 
(A) releasing from prison all those jailed 
for peaceful political activism or the nonviolent 
expression of their political or religious beliefs, 
including Felix Kulov in Kyrgyzstan; 
(B) fully investigating any credible allega-
tions of torture and prosecuting those respon-
sible; 
(C) permitting the free and unfettered 
functioning of independent media outlets, inde-
pendent political parties, and nongovernmental
•HCON 32 IH 
organizations, whether officially registered or 
not; 
(D) permitting the free exercise of reli-
gious beliefs and ceasing the persecution of 
members of religious groups and denominations 
not registered with the state; 
(E) holding free, competitive, and fair elec-
tions; and 
(F) making publicly available documenta-
tion of their revenues and punishing those en-
gaged in official corruption; 
(2) the President, the Secretary of State, and 
the Secretary of Defense should— 
(A) continue to raise at the highest levels 
with the governments of the nations of Central 
Asia specific cases of political and religious per-
secution, and urge greater respect for human 
rights and democratic freedoms at every diplo-
matic opportunity; 
(B) take progress in meeting the goals out-
lined in paragraph (1) into account when deter-
mining the level and frequency of United States 
diplomatic engagement with the governments of 
the Central Asian nations, the allocation of 
United States assistance, and the nature of
•HCON 32 IH 
United States military engagement with the 
countries of the region; 
(C) ensure that the provisions of the an-
nual foreign operations appropriation Act are 
fully implemented to ensure that no United 
States assistance benefits security forces in 
Central Asia implicated in violations of human 
rights; 
(D) follow the recommendations of the 
United States Commission on International Re-
ligious Freedom by designating Turkmenistan a 
‘‘Country of Particular Concern’’ under the 
International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 
and by making clear that Uzbekistan risks des-
ignation if conditions in that country do not im-
prove; 
(E) urge the Government of Turkmenistan 
to respect the right of imprisoned opposition 
leader Boris Shikmuradov to due process and a 
fair trial and to release democratic activists and 
their family members from prison, and urge the 
Government of the Russian Federation not to 
extradite to Turkmenistan members of that 
country’s political opposition;
•HCON 32 IH 
(F) 
work 
with 
the 
Government 
of 
Kazakhstan to create a political climate free of 
intimidation and harassment, including releas-
ing political prisoners and permitting the return 
of 
political 
exiles, 
most 
notably 
Akezan 
Kazegeldin, and to reduce official corruption, 
including 
by 
urging 
the 
Government 
of 
Kazakhstan to cooperate with the ongoing De-
partment of Justice investigation, and if con-
victed independent journalist Sergey Duvanov 
decides to appeal his verdict, to ensure that due 
process will be strictly followed in accordance 
with Kazakhstani law and international stand-
ards of justice; 
(G) 
work 
with 
the 
Government 
of 
Uzbekistan to address the serious concerns 
about systemic torture documented in the re-
ports of the United Nations Special Rapporteur 
on Torture and to implement recommendations 
made in the report; 
(H) 
work 
with 
the 
Government 
of 
Kyrgyzstan to introduce changes in the recently 
adopted constitution that would address con-
cerns about protections for human rights and 
balance of powers; and
•HCON 32 IH 
(I) support through United States assist-
ance programs those individuals, nongovern-
mental organizations, and media outlets in Cen-
tral Asia working to build more open societies, 
to support the victims of human rights abuses, 
and to expose official corruption; 
(3) increased levels of United States assistance 
to the governments of the Central Asian nations 
made possible by their cooperation in the war in Af-
ghanistan can be sustained only if there is substan-
tial and continuing progress towards meeting the 
goals outlined in paragraph (1). 
Æ