Uzbekistan: Rallies Abroad Mark Andijon Anniversary

Today is the first anniversary of the violent crackdown in the eastern Uzbek city of Andijon. Demonstrations have been held in London; Moscow; and Calmar, Sweden, as well as Kyrgyzstan, today to commemorate victims of the violence. They followed May 12 demonstrations in New York, Istanbul, and Kyiv.

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Uzbekistan: British MPs Pursue Blair’s Vow To Keep Pressure On Karimov

British Prime Minister Tony Blair has vowed to "keep up the pressure" on the government in Uzbekistan until it improves its human-rights performance. Blair's remark came on the eve of the first anniversary of President Islam Karimov's violent crackdown in the eastern Uzbek city of Andijon. A meeting of EU foreign ministers today in Brussels could provide the Blair government a chance to rally support for such a policy. But British advocates of justice for Andijon's victims are concerned that the pledges will fade as Andijon disappears from the headlines.

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Uzbekistan: Witnesses Recall The Andijon Bloodshed

Twelve months after tragedy unfolded in the eastern Uzbek city of Andijon, very little remains certain about the violence on May 12-13, 2005. Witnesses have claimed troops opened fire on a peaceful gathering on May 13, killing hundreds. President Islam Karimov's government describes the incident as an armed uprising and maintains that 187 people — all either "terrorists," police, or soldiers — were killed as a result. The Uzbek government has also accused Western media of fabricating reports detailing abuses by the authorities.

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Uzbekistan: Freedom Party Nominates Presidential Candidate

The unregistered Uzbek opposition party Erk (Freedom) nominated its leader, Muhammad Solih, as a candidate for the 2007 presidential election. But Solih cannot run for president under current Uzbek legislation: he has not lived in Uzbekistan for 10 straight years before the election, as the constitution requires, and he was also sentenced to a lengthy prison term in 1999 on charges of extremism. Will the Erk party be able to get around these obstacles so that Solih can be a candidate?

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RIGHTS GROUP PRESSES FOR INFORMATION ON JAILED UZBEK ACTIVIST

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a 20 January press release on the organization's website (http://www.hrw.org) that the Uzbekistan government "must clarify" the fate of rights activist Saidjahon Zainabiddinov, who has reportedly been sentenced to a seven-year prison term for having provided information to foreign journalists about the Uzbek authorities' violent suppression of unrest in Andijon in May (see "Human-Rights Activist Reportedly Sentenced In Secret Trial," rferl.org, 13 January 2006). "Uzbek authorities are hiding information about Zainabiddinov's whereabouts," Holly Cartner, HRW Europe and Central Asia director, commented. "They should immediately tell Saidjahon's family and the international community what has happened to him." Cartner added: "Uzbek authorities are punishing Zainabiddinov for telling the world what happened in Andijan. He should be released immediately." Unconfirmed reports indicate that Zainabiddinov was convicted for spreading false information and sowing panic among the population. DK

Radio Free Europe

Radio Liberty (Monday, 23 January 2006 Volume 10 Number 12)

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT CONDEMNS UZBEK ‘MASSACRE’

The European Parliament on 9 June described events in 13 May in Andijon, where Uzbek forces are alleged to have killed hundreds when they fired on demonstrators, as a "massacre" and urged a trial of the perpetrators, Reuters reported. A joint resolution published on the European Parliament's website (http://www.europarl.eu.int) stated that members of the body "strongly condemn the excessive, brutal and indiscriminate use of force by the Uzbek security forces and urges the Uzbek authorities to bring those responsible for the massacre in Andijan to trial." DK

Radio Free Europe

Radio Liberty (Friday, 10 June 2005 Volume 9 Number 110)