What are the chances for peaceful democratisation in Uzbekistan.
President Islam Karimov has branded the demonstrators in the eastern city of Andijan as Islamic extremists, he's done this before, he branded demonstrators in March 1999 "criminals" and "Islamic extremists", he was quoted as saying "I'm prepared to rip off the heads of 200 people, to sacrifice their lives, in order to save peace and calm in the republic .... If my child chose such a path, I myself would rip off his head." Agence France-Presse, April 2, 1999.
Fraud, nepotism and torture mark Karimov's reign
Nick Paton Walsh in Moscow
Saturday May 14, 2005
The Guardian
President Islam Karimov was born in the historic town of Samarkand in 1938, and rose to become first secretary of the Communist party in Uzbekistan and then the country's first president in 1990, writes Nick Paton Walsh . A series of fraudulent elections and referendums have extended his rule.
The country's two key products, cotton and gold, are produced under strict state control, with child labour being used to farm the former. The impoverished sprawl of its capital city, Tashkent, is adorned with huge glass-fronted buildings. Mr Karimov's family and inner circle, it is claimed, dominate most industries.
The Uzbek security services' record has come under renewed scrutiny after Washington declared Tashkent its ally in its "war on terror", after Mr Karimov let the US open a much-needed airbase in Khanabad to support Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
Human rights groups have documented the regime's torture of dissidents, often those associated with Islamic groups and based in the country's restless eastern Ferghana Valley.
Blame for the current unrest "lies squarely with the desperate Karimov regime", said Imran Waheed of Hizb ut-Tahrir, the London-based Uzbek organisation to which the 23 arrested men were allegedly linked.
The former UK ambassador to Tashkent, Craig Murray, said: "People come to me very often after being tortured. Normally this includes homosexual and heterosexual rape of close relatives in front of the victim; rape with objects such as broken bottles; and use of boiling liquids including complete immersion of the body."
The reclusive Mr Karimov told Uzbek radio, according to BBC Monitoring, that such dissidents "must be shot in the forehead! If necessary, I'll shoot them myself."
Full Version: Crack Down in Uzbekistan
Political News section.
Actually a different topic. This one does go into the Asia section. Its talking about democracy in Uzbekistan.
My thread is talking about the neoconservative response (or lack thereof) Thats why I posted it in the Political section.
But whose counting?
My thread is talking about the neoconservative response (or lack thereof) Thats why I posted it in the Political section.
But whose counting?
Acramia is the name of rebels Islamist group. although different from Talibans - some see familiar pattern in their purpose and patterns...
and it is all quite complicated enough.
and guess what? oil and gas there too - and a lot ! China has already expressed their readiness and eagerness to invest 1.5$ bln - Karimov shaked hands in there already.
Uzbek pot begins to boil
and it is all quite complicated enough.
and guess what? oil and gas there too - and a lot ! China has already expressed their readiness and eagerness to invest 1.5$ bln - Karimov shaked hands in there already.
Uzbek pot begins to boil
QUOTE
What's happening in Uzbekistan? One more display of radical Islam, dreaming of pan-Islamic caliphate? Another "democratic" color revolution in the former USSR? A revolt of the hungry population? Clan feuds? The West's revenge for Uzbekistan's withdrawal from anti-Russian GUUAM (now GUAM) alliance? Or another episode in the global fight for natural resources?
Probably, a little of everything.
Acramia, which organized the revolt, is not a Taliban but still. The organization was organized in 1996 as a branch of Hizb-ut-Tahrir ("the way to the true faith"), which is regarded by the official Tashkent as the organizer of the terror attacks in 2004.
As distinct from Taliban, Acramia denounces violence and preaches "peaceful seizure of power" at local level. But it's not ruled out that the both organizations are connected with each other. This is maintained by the official Tashkent, and the Russian foreign minister opined that the events in Uzbekistan had developed "with the assistance of foreign forces, including the Talibs".
.............
As far as the economics is concerned, the situation in Uzbekistan is better, than in the neighboring Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. According to the official statistics, the country has accumulated $ 15 billions of foreign investments. The new investment program implies investing $ 515 million, the biggest part which - $ 209 million - is supposed to be invested into oil & gas production....
Another serious theme is Uzbekistan's natural resources. By the recent estimations, on Uzbekistan's territory there are over 2 billions tons (in the fuel equivalent) of the explored reserves of the carbohydrates. And much more is yet to be discovered: 60% of the Uzbek territory is promising in this respect. Only in 5 regions with the proved presence of oil-and-gas around 200 deposits were discovered. Uzbekistan accounts for three forth of the Central Asian condensed gas, 40% of the natural gas, a little less than of the oil reserves and 55% of coal. There are also significant deposits of gold, silver, uranium, copper, molybdenum, tungsten.
Why are Uzbekistan's resources less known than those of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan? Just because almost all resources which are now in use in the post-soviet states were discovered in the Soviet times, and the Soviet Union simply didn't have time to invest into the exploration of Uzbekistan's resources. And after the collapse of the Soviet Union the Western investors rushed promptly to the already explored deposits.
However Karimov's regime stands firm as yet: despite some tensions with USA and Uzbekistan, Washington still regards the Uzbek leader as its ally. Hence the reserved intonation of the American comments on the events in Andijan. They said that democracy is a good thing but still... another Taliban is not welcome at all. But anyway it's not ruled out the revolt itself was ordered by Washington. As an unequivocal message to Karimov: don't forget who's the boss.
Probably, a little of everything.
Acramia, which organized the revolt, is not a Taliban but still. The organization was organized in 1996 as a branch of Hizb-ut-Tahrir ("the way to the true faith"), which is regarded by the official Tashkent as the organizer of the terror attacks in 2004.
As distinct from Taliban, Acramia denounces violence and preaches "peaceful seizure of power" at local level. But it's not ruled out that the both organizations are connected with each other. This is maintained by the official Tashkent, and the Russian foreign minister opined that the events in Uzbekistan had developed "with the assistance of foreign forces, including the Talibs".
.............
As far as the economics is concerned, the situation in Uzbekistan is better, than in the neighboring Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. According to the official statistics, the country has accumulated $ 15 billions of foreign investments. The new investment program implies investing $ 515 million, the biggest part which - $ 209 million - is supposed to be invested into oil & gas production....
Another serious theme is Uzbekistan's natural resources. By the recent estimations, on Uzbekistan's territory there are over 2 billions tons (in the fuel equivalent) of the explored reserves of the carbohydrates. And much more is yet to be discovered: 60% of the Uzbek territory is promising in this respect. Only in 5 regions with the proved presence of oil-and-gas around 200 deposits were discovered. Uzbekistan accounts for three forth of the Central Asian condensed gas, 40% of the natural gas, a little less than of the oil reserves and 55% of coal. There are also significant deposits of gold, silver, uranium, copper, molybdenum, tungsten.
Why are Uzbekistan's resources less known than those of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan? Just because almost all resources which are now in use in the post-soviet states were discovered in the Soviet times, and the Soviet Union simply didn't have time to invest into the exploration of Uzbekistan's resources. And after the collapse of the Soviet Union the Western investors rushed promptly to the already explored deposits.
However Karimov's regime stands firm as yet: despite some tensions with USA and Uzbekistan, Washington still regards the Uzbek leader as its ally. Hence the reserved intonation of the American comments on the events in Andijan. They said that democracy is a good thing but still... another Taliban is not welcome at all. But anyway it's not ruled out the revolt itself was ordered by Washington. As an unequivocal message to Karimov: don't forget who's the boss.
so far still business as usual.
QUOTE (expat @ Nov 29 2005, 10:22 PM)
so far still business as usual.
Certainly is, America's former good friend Karimov and new buddy to oil hungry India and China is not about to lose his grip on power anytime soon.
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UZBEKISTAN: Concern over jailed opposition leader
29 Nov 2005 15:46:11 GMT
Source: IRIN
ANKARA, 29 November (IRIN) - The arrested leader of a pro-reform opposition block in Uzbekistan is still being interrogated in custody and needs medical care, his lawyer said on Tuesday.
"We met Sanjar [Umarov] yesterday after we had been trying to get access to him for a week and we were finally allowed to see him…. Overall he looked normal as we talked to him and everything [he spoke] was clear," Vitaliy Krasilovski, Umarov's lawyer, said from the Uzbek capital, Tashkent.
"As a group of four lawyers, we are re-submitting a request for a medical check-up for him today [Tuesday]. But since 15 November we have not received an answer. When we met him yesterday he complained of increased blood pressure and would like to receive medical help for that," Krasilovski added.
The investigation was still going on, with no information yet available on how long it would take. "We suppose it may take at least a month or two," Krasilovski noted, adding that he could not go into any further detail given that the final charges against his client had not been put forward and he had to adhere to the secrecy of the investigation.
Sanjar Umarov, 49, is the leader of 'Serkuyosh Uzbekistonim' (Sunshine Uzbekistan) – a new opposition coalition that was established in Uzbekistan in April. Umarov is also a successful businessman with links to the energy and cotton sectors and gained popularity following his vocal denunciation of the violent clampdown on protests in the eastern Uzbek city of Andijan in May.
Rights groups say upwards of 1,000 mainly unarmed civilians were killed by Uzbek security forces when they suppressed the dissent. Tashkent puts the death toll at 187, saying they were Islamic militants.
Umarov was arrested on 22 October following a raid on his office and charged with embezzlement of "millions of soms [Uzbek currency] and other economic crimes," according to the prosecutor-general's office.
Three days later, he was reportedly found naked and incoherent in his cell by Krasilovsky, while the coalition's coordinator, Nodira Khidayatova, told reporters in Moscow that psychotropic drugs might have been used to silence him. "His arrest is absolutely politically motivated. I think the authorities are worried that our coalition is gaining support nationally," Khidoyatova said earlier.
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