As I
mentioned before, Uzbekistan shares borders with a majority of Central Asian
states: Tajikstan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. The conditions of security or danger along
these borders are constantly and rapidly shifting. An operational border-crossing one month
could become sealed the next month, or vice-a-versa. Conflict and criminal activity are a
continuous threat to their stability.
How is the government of Uzbekistan performing in this environment?
The
Kazakh-Uzbek border is beleaguered with criminal trafficking activity and
bribery. However, it is the nearby
border towns and their citizens that are the most affected. The town of Chinaz lies close to the Yalama-B.Konysbayeva
border-crossing point. It was from this
location that in 2011 Mukhiddin Hozhimuradov [1](a local man from Chinaz) was
accused of the trafficking of four other Uzbek men from Chinaz to the city of
Turkestan, Kazakhstan. In 2012, a Chinaz
woman, Anwar Ziyaev Gulnaz Yuldosheva, is the sister of two of these
victims. When she brought her case to
the courts, she was soon arrested and charged with extortion in a
closed-trial. The closest operating
border point between Chinaz and Turkestan is the Yalama-B. Konysbayeva
crossing, therefore it’s quite likely that these men were trafficked through
this one in particular. However, since
they were lured out under the guise of legal labor migration, they did not
likely draw any attention from the guards.
This is a definite vulnerability in the border-crossings, but not with
an easily identifiable solution.
The
Zhibek-Zholy crossing between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan happens to be located
near the site of a recent trafficking arrest.
Two girls from the village of Zhibek Zholy [2]were victims of a human
trafficking sale, with a 100,000 tenge ($652 USD) price on their bodies. The perpetrator, Kalybaeva Kulzamira, was
charged and sentence to five and a half years imprisonment. The proximity that the village of
Zhibek-Zholy shares with the Uzbek border makes it quite possible for future
crimes like this to be committed on Uzbek men and women, especially if the
remainder of the criminal organization is still at-large.
The
border between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan is also a recent point of interest, as
it has been the site of numerous border clashes and small skirmishes. In July 2013, two Uzbek border guards engaged
[3]in a shoot out with some Kyrgyz border guards.
Some Uzbek officials say that the Kyrgyz were invading, while the Kyrgyz
insist that it was the Uzbeks. This is
indicative of the long-standing tension stemming from the attempts at post-Soviet border
delimitations within the region. People
in Batken, which is located not far from the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border in Kyrgyzstan,
are calling for an increased presence [4]of border guards. According to one man “the situation in the
region is peaceful, but in any event it could use an increase in border
guards.” Why should they be escalating
in numbers, and could this spell future trouble for Uzbek border security and
for the region in general?
Considering
that the Uzbek-Krygyz border of Kadam Zhai had just been opened in April 2013,
this was a tremendous setback in customs and diplomatic relations between
Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. The
government of Uzbekistan has displayed a tendency of closing border points
after such events transpire. Indeed,
Uzbekistan [5]ordered the borders closed in the following August 2013. Although they cited that it was to prepare
for the September Uzbek Independence Day celebrations, many disagree and see it
as a political response to the July 2013 shooting incident.
What
can regional security organizations do to help Uzbekistan and other Central
Asian states overcome these problems? So
many resources and so much training for border guards are already provided to
Uzbekistan, but is it capable of sniffing out the deceptive operations such as
those mentioned in the beginning of this submission? There are already numerous regional security
organizations operating with the region, including: The Council of Border Troop
Commanders, the Central Asian Regional Information Center, and the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure. Between all of them, they possess a
tremendous wealth of information and military resources. While that helps fight against those involved
in trafficking throughout the region, will it be able to bring Central Asian
leaders to the negotiation table? The
security of Uzbekistan’s borders depends on finding a balance between militarization
and cooperative dialogue.
[2] The Center for
Temporary Accommodation of Victims of Human Trafficking. 2012. http://traffikstop.kz/index.php/using-joomla/extensions/modules/navigation-modules/breadcrumbs
[4] Radio Asiatic. November 15, 2013. http://rus.azattyk.org/content/kyrgyzstan_batken_deputaty_prosyat_usilit_voennykh_v_batkene/25097689.html
[5] Fergana News. August 12, 2013.
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