Dear Piergiorgio,

Uzbek citizens have just returned from their compulsory work in cotton fields. The Government of Uzbekistan still operates the world's largest forced labor system of cotton production, but in less than a week, the European Parliament is likely to approve a textile treaty with Uzbekistan to expand trade in cotton made with forced labor.

The E.U. should be protecting consumers from purchasing this tainted cotton, not opening up markets for it by signing deals with a government that perpetuates forced labor! We made a video with our allies at the Uzbek German Forum for Human Rights explaining the ongoing human rights violations in the Uzbek cotton harvest. Take a moment to watch the video, and share it with the EU Parliament on Facebook and Twitter to encourage parliamentarians to delay the vote!

The European Parliament has postponed this vote since 2011 due to the egregious human rights violations committed by the Uzbek Government. Now, it is set to approve the deal without even waiting for full reports from the 2016 harvest to come in. This is an irresponsible shift that turns a blind eye to the ongoing problems with the Uzbek cotton harvest. 

Our allies and monitors on the ground have preliminarily concluded that the forced labor system of cotton production continued unchanged in 2016. We cannot let the E.U. expand trade in Uzbek cotton until it considers the evidence of continued use of forced labor. We need your help to demand this vote be delayed! Watch the video and spread the word!

In solidarity,

Kirill Boychenko
Cotton Campaign coordinator

This email was sent by the International Labor Rights Forum.  
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