OSCE welcomes registration of independent human rights group in Uzbekistan

Posted 03/11/2002 Tashkent. (Interfax)

Uzbekistan has for the first time registered an independent human rights group. The OSCE center in Tashkent circulated a statement on Monday in which it says that the OSCE Bureau for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights welcomed the official registration of the independent human rights group by the country's Justice Ministry last week. The statement stresses that "for the first time, Uzbek authorities have registered an independent human rights group, which is critical of the government." OSCE Head and Ambassador Gerard Stoudman said that "the organization sees it as a positive and promising step towards the establishment of basic conditions for the development of Uzbek society." "We hope that the authorities will also ensure the registration of other non-governmental organizations and that we are witnessing a new and more open approach of the Uzbek government to independent non- governmental organizations," Stoudman said.