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The state of human rights in Uzbekistan has been described as "abysmal" 〔()〕 and has faced heavy criticism for the arbitrary arrests, religious persecution, and torture employed by the government on a regional and national level. ==Overview== The U.S. Department of State has designated Uzbekistan a Country of Particular Concern for the religious persecution practiced in the country.〔United States Department of State: (International Religious Freedom Report 2008: ) Executive Summary.〕 Uzbekistan has abolished the death penalty. The abolition, initiated by the August 2005 decrees of President Karimov, became effective on January 1, 2008. Capital punishment has been substituted by longer term deprivation of liberty and life sentencing. (see Death penalty in Uzbekistan). Religious freedom is one of the most challenging issues in a predominantly Muslim environment, where only two mainstream religions - Orthodox Christianity and Judaism - are recognized and tolerated by the country's traditional society. The constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan asserts that "democracy in the Republic of Uzbekistan shall be based upon common human principles, according to which the highest value shall be the human being, his life, freedom, honor, dignity and other inalienable rights." However, United States Department of State defines Uzbekistan as "an authoritarian state with limited civil rights"〔US Department of State, (2004 Country report on Human Rights Practices in Uzbekistan ), released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, February 28, 2005〕 and IHF express profound concern about "wide-scale violation of virtually all basic human rights".〔IHF, (Human Rights in OSCE Region: Europe, Central Asia and North America - Uzbekistan, Report 2004 (events of 2003) ), 2004-06-23〕 According to the reports, the most widespread violations are torture, arbitrary arrests, and various restrictions of freedoms: of religion, of speech and press, of free association and assembly.〔OMCT and Legal Aid Society, (DENIAL OF JUSTICE IN UZBEKISTAN - an assessment of the human rights situation and national system of protection of fundamental rights ), April 2005.〕 The reports maintain that the violations are most often committed against members of religious organizations, independent journalists, human right activists, and political activists, including members of the banned opposition parties. In 2005, Uzbekistan was included into Freedom House's "The Worst of the Worst: The World's Most Repressive Societies". The official position is summarized in a memorandum "The measures taken by the government of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the field of providing and encouraging human rights" 〔Embassy of Uzbekistan to the US, (Press-Release: THE MEASURES, TAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN IN THE FIELD OF PROVIDING AND ENCOURAGING HUMAN RIGHTS ), October 24, 2005〕 and amounts to the following. The government does everything that is in its power to protect and to guarantee the human rights of Uzbekistan's citizens. Uzbekistan continuously improves its laws and institutions in order to create a more humane society. Over 300 laws regulating the rights and basic freedoms of the people have been passed by the parliament. For instance, an office of Ombudsman was established in 1996.〔UZBEKISTAN DAILY DIGEST, (UZBEKISTAN'S OMBUDSMAN REPORTS ON 2002 RESULTS ), December 25, 2007〕 On August 2, 2005, President Islom Karimov signed a decree that will abolish capital punishment in Uzbekistan on January 1, 2008. Craig Murray, British ambassador 2002-2004, investigated human rights abuses, and, when his bosses at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office ignored his reports, went public, garnering international attention for the situation. He was dismissed, but continued to agitate against human rights abuse in the country. He also claimed there was extraordinary rendition by the United States of America to Uzbekistan, with surreptitious use of information obtained under torture as a result. Murray was removed from his post in October 2004, shortly after a leaked report in the ''Financial Times'' quoted him as claiming that MI6 used intelligence provided by Uzbek authorities through torture. The FCO denied there was any direct connection and stated that Murray had been removed for "operational" reasons. It claimed that he had lost the confidence of senior officials and colleagues. In his 2007 book Murder in Samarkand, Murray speculates that his anti-torture memos caused two problems for the US & UK governments. First, the CIA's extraordinary rendition program was secretly using Uzbekistan as a country to which to fly people to be tortured. Second, the transcripts of the torture sessions were then shared with Britain's MI6 because of the UK-US intelligence sharing agreements of WWII. By objecting to the UK's acceptance of CIA torture-obtained information, he was interfering with the secret rendition program as well as threatening the MI6's relationship with the CIA.〔p. 332, Dirty Diplomacy〕 The 2005 civil unrest in Uzbekistan, which resulted in several hundred people being killed is viewed by many as a landmark event in the history of human rights abuse in Uzbekistan,〔http://usinfo.state.gov/eur/Archive/2005/Sep/26-966275.html〕〔(Uzbekistan: Report Cites Evidence Of Government 'Massacre' In Andijon - RADIO FREE EUROPE / RADIO LIBERTY )〕〔(Uzbekistan: Independent international investigation needed into Andizhan events | Amnesty International )〕 A concern has been expressed and a request for an independent investigation of the events has been made by the United States, European Union, the UN, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. The government of Uzbekistan is accused of unlawful termination of human life, denying its citizens freedom of assembly and freedom of expression. The government vehemently rebuffs the accusations, maintaining that it merely conducted an anti-terrorist operation, exercising only necessary force.〔(Press-service of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan: )〕 In addition, some officials claim that "an information war on Uzbekistan has been declared" and the human rights violations in Andijan are invented by the enemies of Uzbekistan as a convenient pretext for intervention into the country's internal affairs.〔(Kreml.Org | Áîäéöáîóëéå Óïâùôéñ Óôáìé Ðï×Ïäïí Äìñ Âåóðòåãåäåîôîïçï Äá×Ìåîéñ Îá Õúâåëéóôáî )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Human rights in Uzbekistan」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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