Public Relations Special: Bell Pottinger's "Reform" Image for Uzbekistan

See also Bahrain Opinion: "Loonies" and The Sins of Bell Pottinger
Bahrain Special: 4 More Revelations about Qorvis, the Regime's PR Firm

UPDATE 1100 GMT: Human Rights Watch has just issued a report, "No One Left to Witness", that Uzbekistan is continuing to use torture in its criminal justice system and that "independent civil society is ruthlessly suppressed".

---

We have been reporting on the work of public relations firm Bell Pottinger for regimes in Yemen and Bahrain, as well as carrying investigative journalism uncovering the company's claims of access to the highest figures in the British Government and its service for clients by planting and changing Wikipedia entries.

The Bureau for Investigative Journalism, which set up the fictional "Azimov Group" approached by the PR firm, has released Bell Pottinger's pitch for business, "Changing Perceptions of the Republic of Uzbekistan". Uzbekistan is the Central Asian country led by Islam Karimov, whose regime has been accused of widespread torture --- including the boiling alive of two detainees --- kidnapping, murder, rape by security forces, financial corruption, religious persecution, and censorship.

Or, as Bell Pottinger presents the challenge in the Introduction to the report, "Uzbekistan has serious reputational problems. On democracy, human rights, and child labour in the cotton fields, perceptions are strongly negative. Overcoming deep-rooted attitudes will not be easy."

The PR firm ponders, "The only way to turn round those perceptions is to convince our target audiences that genuine and substantial change is underway in Uzbekistan. Selling the status quo, or pretending things are changing if they are not, will  not work. Worse, it would be counter-productive."

No worries --- the PR advisors continue, "If, however, the Government is committed to real and lasting reform, then there are many things Bell Pottinger could do to ensure that such a programme were understood, appreciated, and supported in the UK and the EU [European Union]".

Thus, the goal: "Compulsory child labour to be ended by [date]".

There are lots of PR bullet points on how to promote this, but nothing further on "the reputational problems" of corruption, torture, murder, and other human rights violation.

Instead, Bell Pottinger reminds, "Uzbekistan is strategically important given it borders Afghanistan and provides facilities for coalition forces" and "Uzbekistan can be an important trading partner."

Perhaps most importantly, it emphasises that links "should be established with the following people, all of whom are well-known to us: Rt Hon William Hague MP, Foreign Secretary; Alistair Burt MP, Minister for Afghanistan and South Asia; Arminka Helic, Special Adviser; Ed Llewellyn, Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister & foreign policy specialist."

Read the full report....