The Central Asian nation of Uzbekistan has ratified the UN Convention Against Torture (CAT) in 1995, but torture remains a “systematic practice” in the country according to a recent report [1] [pdf]. As the UN anti-torture committee met to review [2] Uzbekistan's implementation of the CAT, Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow [3]) tweeted live from Geneva.
Below are just some of Swerdlow's tweets, indicating that the Uzbekistani authorities prefer to deal with allegations of torture, forced sterilization of women [4], and use of ‘slave labor’ to harvest cotton [5] primarily through yelling, screaming, and insulting experts:
Tweeting from Geneva: #Uzbekistan [6] now being reviewed by UN Committee against Torture
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 29, 2013 [7]
Right out of the gate #Uzbek [8] [government] delegation bites back at [committee] against #Torture [9], asserting (in a yell) that CAT is ignoring the facts
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013 [10]
Head of #Uzbek [8] [government]: “We don't care that European [Committee on Human Rights] has repeatedly found torture in #Uzb [11] is systematic. We are an Asian country”
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013 [12]
[13]Torture is widely used in Uzbekistan, according to several recent reports. Screenshot from video “Massacre in Uzbekistan (Trailer)” uploaded on YouTube by Mulberry Media on July 13, 2012.
#Uzbekistan [6]‘s primary “diplomat” to @UN [14] Committee against #Torture [9] is yelling, banging fists on the table, insulting individual experts.
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013 [15]
Will #Uzbekistan [6] answer the actual questions of the @UN [14] Committee against Torture? My bet is probably not.
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013 [16]
35 minutes & still not a single concrete answer by #Uzbek [8] delegation to any specific questions on #torture [17]
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013 [18]
#Uzbek [8] official to CAT experts: We have not found one single case of forced sterilization of women in the country.
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013 [19]
CAT expert drawing attention to continued [reports] of forced & child labor in #Uzbek [8] cotton harvest. @cottoncampaign [20]
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013 [21]
Cmte agnst Torture asks #Uzbekistan [6]: Why don't you investigate allegations of torture? Answer: No political will to combat it.
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013 [22]
Cmte agnst Torture to #Uzbek [8] official: I haven't heard one word from you about the #Andijan [23] massacre of 2005, which involved hundreds killed
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013 [24]
Expert to #Uzbekistan [6]: Your responses strain credulity. I'd like to see answers to our questions.
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013 [25]
Expert to #Uzbek [8] official: Whether u agree or not that torture is systematic, the fact is that numerous allegs continue to come to our attn
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013 [26]
Expert to #Uzbekistan [6]: Pls tell us abt 8 ppl who have allegedly died during 2013 #cotton [27] harvest due to forced labor @cottoncampaign [20]
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013 [28]
[29]Uzbekistan has also been accused of routinely using ‘slave labor’ to harvest cotton. “Cotton Pickers” by peretzp, September 20, 2009 (CC BY-SA 2.0).
Head of #Uzbekistan [6] delegation again screaming and yelling at Committee against Torture experts.
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013 [30]
#Uzb [11] official categorically declares: “The issue of the #Andijan [23] massacre of 2005 is closed for us. We will never return to this issue!”
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013 [31]
#Uzbek [8] official screaming at top of his lungs at internationally respected experts on torture-Good strategy to deflect from damning evidence
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013 [32]
And so ends #Uzbekistan [6] session at Cmte against Torture: A truly rare moment of accountability for #Uzbekistan [6]‘s atrocious record on torture
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013 [33]