Britain's controversial ambassador to Uzbekistan has launched another outspoken attack on his host country, accusing it of brutal human rights abuses and urging its people to "fight for democracy". Craig Murray called for action with an attack on the regime of President Islam Karimov, which he also appeared to blame for a string of recent suicide bombings.
His rallying call will infuriate the Foreign Office which has tried unsuccessfully to silence his condemnations of the central Asian regime, seen as a key pillar in the war on terror.
In his latest attack on Mr Karimov, Mr Murray called for a battle against the regime's repression of dissent.
"The worst Soviet features such as secret police, censorship, torture in prisons are still in place here," he told a gathering of journalists in Tashkent.
Scolding local media for its regurgitation of state propaganda, he added: "It is time to fight for democracy."
Mr Murray's undiplomatic language appeared to catch Foreign Office officials in London off guard.
After seeking clarification, a spokesman said the speech was intended to encourage journalists in their work and not to foment violence.
Asked if the ambassador's comments represented Britain's official position, he said: "Mr Murray is the ambassador to Uzbekistan and he puts forward the government's position on the human rights situation in that country, which has been quite strident and critical in the past."
Recent events suggest the diplomat has been a little too eager for Whitehall's liking in highlighting what he calls the regime's "appalling" abuses.
Uzbekistan became an anchor point for the war on terror after granting rights for a US airbase that was used as a base for the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
Despite documented evidence of torture in Uzbek detention centres, Britain and the United States are thought to be wary of upsetting Mr Karimov in case he backtracks on military cooperation.
Mr Murray, 45, was recalled to London in September last year to answer a string of disciplinary charges that appeared to be punishment for previous outbursts.
The diplomat put his superiors in a tight spot shortly after he first arrived in Tashkent two years ago, telling a human rights group in a speech: "No government has the right to use the war against terrorism as an excuse for the persecu tion of those with a deep personal commitment to the Islamic religion and who pursue their views by peaceful means. Sadly, the large majority of those wrongly imprisoned in Uzbekistan fall into this category."
Although he was cleared of all charges and allowed to return to Tashkent on condition that he kept a low profile, the ambassador has continued to criticise Mr Karimov and embarrass London.
Last month, his access to western media was restricted after he spoke out on torture techniques by police such as pulling out fingernails and immersing prisoners in boiling water.
Reporters calling his office in Tashkent were redirected to Whitehall and offered an interview with the junior Foreign Office minister, Bill Rammell, instead.
Furious at his repeated attacks, the Uzbek authorities have used subtle coercion in their own attempt to isolate Mr Murray.
Ten days ago, the secret police told government officials and musicians who intended to join a party thrown by the diplomat to celebrate the Queen's birthday that it could be "bad for their health".
Yesterday, the ambassador implicated Mr Karimov in a series of shootings and bombings that killed more than 40 people in March.
The Uzbek authorities blamed "foreign extremists" and the US secretary of state, Colin Powell, hinted that groups linked to al-Qaida were to blame.
But Mr Murray said: "They say that it was another case of international terror with links to Pakistan, but I think that the main cause of the attacks is here.
"Uzbek people live in desperation, they have no hope for improvements."
