December 15, 2001

Given the especially difficult conditions for the work of human rights NGOs in Uzbekistan, participants of the conference "On Human Rights and Strategy of the Human Rights Movement in Uzbekistan" considers necessary the creation of a working group of Uzbek human rights organizations, whose purpose would be to identify priorities in the work of human rights activists, discuss joint projects and initiatives while seeking financial assistance for them. The idea of a working group was supported by the delegations of all the Uzbek NGOs present at the conference.

The Working Group (WG) will consist of representatives of these organizations, one from each. Some organizations which took part in the conference have asked for time to nominate their representatives for the WG.

Members of the WG have asked the "Memorial" Human Rights Center to prepare the Group's Charter, which will come into force after its ratification by the WG's members. The deadline for the Charter's final draft is January 15, 2002.

Questions regarding the future work of the WG shall be discussed after the nomination of all of its members and the Charter's ratification.

Current members of the WG:

1. Atanazar Arifov (Independent Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan)

2. /to be nominated/ (Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan)

3. Iskandar Khudaiberganov (Democratic Initiatives Center)

4. /to be nominated/ ("Civil Support" Human Rights Society)

5. Shukhrat Ganiev (Humanitarian Legal Center)

6. Polina Braunberg (Legal Assistance to Prisoners)

7. Tamara Chikunova (Mothers Against the Death Penalty and Torture)