HC Deb 17 November 2003 vol 413 cc662-3W
Mr. Hammond

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the human rights situation in Uzbekistan. [137432]

Mr. Rammell

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Truro and St. Austell (Matthew Taylor) on 20 June 2003,Official Report, column 437W, and the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) on 21 October 2003, Official Report, column 536W.

Mr. Woodward

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Uzbekistan has agreed to BBC World Service re-broadcasting from within Uzbekistan. [138166]

Mr. Rammell

Uzbekistan has not agreed to BBC World Service re-broadcasting effectively from within Uzbekistan despite representations made to the Uzbek authorities by our embassy in Tashkent. We shall continue to lobby the Uzbek authorities on this issue.

Mr. Woodward

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what funding other than that provided for the translating and printing of his Department's publications in Uzbek will be provided for assistance to Uzbekistan in judicial reform. [138167]

Mr. Rammell

In 2002, the Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP) funded a £71,000 pilot electronic court reporting project in Uzbekistan. As part of the project, new electronic court reporting equipment was installed in four criminal courts in the Ferghana Region. Sadly, while receiving some positive reports from defence lawyers, this assistance has had its limitations; the equipment was abused or not used in practice and court reports were not made available when cases were appealed. Further plans to install the equipment in over 150 courts nation wide have been suspended until we receive firm evidence that the equipment provided thus far is being used effectively.

We shall continue to look for viable opportunities to assist Uzbekistan in reforming its judiciary and improving its human rights record in conjunction with EU, OSCE and other partners. We believe that lessening the dependence on often doubtful confessions and improving the focus on material and forensic evidence is the key to reducing levels of brutality and improving fairness in the judicial process. Through engagement with the authorities on development of an action plan to combat torture, we are also pressing for the political will for such reforms. Regionally we are organising a training workshop in Almaty in December to train judges and prosecutors in the judicial control of the practice of torture. Members of the Uzbek judiciary and procuracy will be invited to attend.