The state obliges citizens to spend time working in the cotton fields for minimal pay each year, earning it large revenues

TASHKENT, June 12 (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov on Friday to stop using forced labour in cotton fields and improve the treatment of prisoners.

Under the authoritarian rule of Karimov since 1989, Central Asia's most populous nation has achieved sustained economic growth but has been criticised by the West and human rights bodies for crackdowns on dissent and basic freedoms.

"President Karimov has emphasized the importance of the rule of law. But laws in the books should be made real in the lives of people," Ban told reporters after meeting Karimov on a tour of post-Soviet Central Asia.

"Uzbekistan has made important progress in eliminating child labour in the cotton sector. Now more must be done to address the mobilization of teachers, doctors and others in cotton harvesting and prevent bad treatment of prisoners."

Uzbekistan is among the world's largest producers and exporters of cotton. The state obliges citizens from other sectors of the economy to spend time working in the cotton fields for minimal pay each year, earning it large revenues.

International human rights bodies say there are thousands of political and religious prisoners in Uzbekistan, a mainly Muslim nation which borders Afghanistan. They say that torture and arbitrary extensions of imprisonment are rife in local jails.

The authorities say they are trying to improve the situation in prisons. Karimov justifies his tough grip on power by citing the need to prevent the spread of radical Islam.

While criticising Uzbekistan's track record on democracy, the West values the country of 30 million people as an ally in a volatile region.

Ban said the U.N. appreciates Uzbekistan's contribution to supporting stability and development in Afghanistan, and praised its progress at home on health, education and combating poverty. (Reporting by Muhammadsharif Mamatkulov; Writing by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

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