Uzbekistan
October 7, 2011 Cotton Club will host a charity concert to support a 15-year old girl who fights a long-lasting blood cancer, a.k.a. leukemia.
Featuring popular bands, such as Fомальгаут (Fom-al-Gaut), MoNNo, Икнайт (Iknight), Amphetamine.
Age 18+, Drink and face control apply.
By coming to the concert and purchsing a ticket (UZS 7,000) you will donate to the charity effort.
Details and tickets available @366-77-86.
Three of the 28 extradited ethnic Uzbeks extradited to Uzbekistan in June, were sentenced to different prison terms, with the longest being 15 years.
On September 13, 2011, Tashkent region Criminal Court sentenced Kobiljon Kurbanov, 45, to four years of prison (article 216 (Illegal organization of public unions or religious organizations) of the Uzbek criminal code), Initiative Group of Human Rights Defenders of Uzbekistan (IGIHRDU) reports.
On August 17, 2011, Surkhandarya Criminal Court sentenced Boltaev, Akhmad Olimovich, 43, to 15 years of imprisonment. The judge had charged him with articles 159 (Encroachment upon the constitutional order of the Republic of Uzbekistan), 244-1 (Creation or distribution of materials that threaten public security and order) and 244-2 (Organizing and participation of religious, separatist, fundamentalist and other kinds of prohibited organizations).
Appelation Court decided to shorten the term to 13 years.
The same day, Syrdarya Criminal Court sentenced Akbarov, Fayzillakhon Kobilovich, 21, to five years of prison term (article 244-1 (Creation or distribution of materials that threaten public security and order). Read the full story »
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Annual Human Dimension Implementation Meetng that takes place these days in Warsaw gives an excellent opoortunity for independent NGOs to present their position and recommendations to the Uzbek government delegation, which is a member-state to OSCE and participates in the event.
neweurasia has already reported on presentations submitted by representatives of some of the Uzbek NGO that participate at sessions of the meeting (Read more on Expert Working Group’s presentation at Working Session II dedicated to Fundamental freedoms (I) – Freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief, AND on Freedom of expression, mass media and information [in Russian]).
On September 29, 2011, Expert Working Group made a statement at Working Session VI – Freedom of movement, drawing international community’s attention to two main challenges to that freedom in Uzbekistan — exit visas and registration of a permanent resident status or so called propiska for the Uzbek citizens.
To explain the historal background of exit visas: The Soviet Union and its Eastern European allies required exit visas both for emigrants and for those who wanted to leave the USSR for some time.
Uzbekistan is the last remaining former USSR country (as well as the last OSCE participating state) that still requires an exit visa. Read the full story »
According to Russia’s Interfax Financial Market edition, among ten million foreigners, who migrate to Russia since January, 2011, citizens of Central Asian republics make up to 35 % of them.
Out of ten million migrants, there are 14 % Uzbeks, 10 % Kazakhs, 6,75 % Tajiks, 3,5 % Kyrgyz citizens, reported head of the Immigration control department of the FMS (Federal Migration Service) of Russia Alexander Zemskov.
Ukranians lead the list of migrants with 21,1 % shares.
Now in real numbers:
Uzbeks — 1,4 mln;
Kazakhs — 1 mln;
Tajiks — 675 thousands;
Kyrgyz — 350 thousands.
It should be emphasized that these are the numbers for this year’s newcommers only, exluding large Central Asian diaspora representatives already residing in Russia.
These numbers differ a lot from what official statistics lie when ideologically brainwashing people about sustainabile development.
Of course, this represents the situation of how the people of Central Asia see their future in more successfull colors in Russia than in their own countries. In fact, this also applies to not only a physical labor migration subjects.
Violation of the right to freedom of religion or belief in Uzbekistan represents one of the most serious escalations of human rights abuses and threatens Uzbekistan’s future, Sukhrobjon Ismoilov, Director of the Tashkent-based Expert Working Group, reported on September 27, 2011 at the Annual OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meetng in Warsaw.
Working Session II that was dedicated to Fundamental freedoms (I) – Freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief, gathered experts and activists from OSCE participating states. Ismoilov was one of those to speak about situation with religious freedoms in Uzbekistan.
“The Uzbek authorities dismiss the crackdown against independent Islamic groups as necessary to stabilize the country during its transition toward its stated goals of a democratic state. The government justifies its strong-hand tactics as necessary to fend off militant Islamists and religious extremists. It is not clear whether religious fundamentalism is a real threat to Uzbekistan or merely a political game.”
One of the most active members of the Uzbek opposition in excile, member of the People’s Movement of Uzbekistan (PMU) Fuad Rustamkhojaev, was assasinated on September 24th 2011.
As the Fergana Information Agency reports, the killers arrived in Ivanovo, a Western Russian town where the victim lived, by taxi and had a long and loud conversation with Rustamkhojaev. Gun shots were heard some time later.
According to the PMU, Fuad Rustamkhojaev, 38, was a Russian citizen since 2005, leaving Uzbekistan after the Andijan massacre that year. He participated in PMU’s congress in Berlin earlier this year. They also told the agency that a month ago NSS (National Security Committee of Uzbekistan) people visited his house and threatened to “physically erase” him in the case that Rustamkhojaev continues his political activity.
Muhammad Salih, the PMU Chairman, had this to say:
“We are outraged by this brutal murder. Karimov’s antihuman regime should know that he will not break our will to fight against him. The death of our brother will unite us stronger, increase the sense of righteousness of the path we have chosen. The criminal actions of the regime will only fasten its fall.
The Russian authorities should not allow the security forces of dictatorial regimes to act so brazenly on the territory of a sovereign state. We hope that the Russian government will take special control over a murder of a Russian citizen and will go public with all the facts of this crime.”
Photographs from Facebook.
Translator’s note: This post is based upon Mashrab’s original from Russian. It is not a literal translation.
Only a few weeks ago, the National information Agency (UzA) — the country’s main propaganda engine — declared the implementation of a new high-speed train:
“The chair of the national railway stock company ‘Uzbekiston Temir Yullari’ Achilbai Ramatov and others have recently stated that the large-scale reforms led by President Islam Karimov were bringing fruitful results. The national leader pays great attention to the development of transport and communications infrastructure. A high-speed train system ‘Afrosiyob’ was built within tight deadlines to connect Tashkent and Samarkand. This is the result of all-time care and attention by the state leadership and of our country’s economic advancement.
“The communication and alarm systems of the high-speed electric train were modernized, safety zones were established with concrete barriers and metal bars, and pedestrian crossings were constructed to ensure traffic safety. Additionally, Tashkent and Samarkand railway stations were renovated to improve safety and comfort of the passengers. Prior to the organization of the Afrosiyob train, a large-scale work was held to modernize the rail infrastructure along the Tashkent-Samarkand route. Rail the length of 600 km was rehabilitated, and 68 km of new railways were laid. A new double-track section with a length of over 35.3 km was built between Yangiyer and Dashtobod, as well as a 142-meter-long tunnel and four bridges with a total length of 400 meters.”
And then along came author Inomjon Sarymsakov, who recently took a ride on the train from Tashkent to Samarkand and has written an article in the Uzbekistan-based newspaper “News of Uzbekistan” that quite boldly contradicts the sunny proclamation from UzA:
Uzbekistan is still in the mood of the 20th anniversary of the “most sacred and greatest” holiday of all times — Independence Day celebrated on September 1, 2011.
In return to official propaganda videos on the happiest people on Earth — Uzbekistanis, Uzbek dissidents protest, organize new civic platforms, call the Canadian government to re-evaluate relations with Uzbekistan. These facts do not threaten the ideological situation in the country, at all.
Below is the set of pictures taken in Tashkent and some other parts of Uzbekistan: Only in authoritarian countries such as Uzbekistan one can see shops selling sports stuff and tickets and fabulous restaurants being enermously happy with the fact that there’s no Center/Moscow anymore dictating, against Uzbek businessmen’s will.
In fact, these organizations had been forced by local authorities — expenditures on any propaganda banners/ads/flyers are covered by businessmen themselves, not from the local budget.
This is how it works: Businessmen do not seem 100% happy with that, but happy to realize that a few times a year expenditures of a couple hundred U.S. dollars can keep corupted officials away for some time from their business. Read the full story »
In Uzbekistan, photography – and other forms of media relations and human rights activities – are carefully watched and monitored by the state.
On September 15th, Gulshan Karayeva and Nodir Ahatov – members of an unregistered Uzbekistan’s Human Rights society – were held by authorities for 10 hours for their act of photographing injustice, for “… taking pictures of schoolchildren picking cotton in the southern Kashkadarya region.”
The Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) Uzbek Service quotes activist Karayeva saying:
“We saw the fourth-graders picking the cotton as we were monitoring allegations of child labor in our region.”
“[The students] pick cotton from the early morning till the afternoon and then they are supposed to go to school afterward.”
Today, September 15 is the International Day of Democracy, first celebrated by the Unites Nations General Assembly in 2008.
When initiated in 2007, the preamble of the resolution affirmed that:
“[...] democracy is a universal value based on the freely-expressed will of people to determine their own political, economic, social and cultural systems, and their full participation in all aspects of life.”
…as well as…
“[...] while democracies share common features, there is no single model of democracy and that democracy does not belong to any country or region…
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