Is it Surat Ikamov's turn?

Saturday, 07 April 2007 Uznews.net – On the night from 4 to 5 April a group of Uzbek law-enforcement officers tried to break into the flat of Tashkent human rights activist and the head of the Initiative Group of Independent Human Rights Activists of Uzbekistan, Surat Ikramov, and demanded that he open the door. Naturally, Surat Ikramov did not open the door. However, this night visit caused great concern for the human rights activist because, he said, it can mean anything from an ordinary detention to attempts to intimidate him before serious measures, such as attempt to his life, arrest or imprisonment. Ikramov said that the group which had come to his flat consisted of eight men wearing black jackets and black polo necks. Asked who they were and what they wanted one of the men replied that they were from Kokand, wanted to tell him about one incident and asked to open the door. However, Ikramov said, it was obvious that they were police or intelligence officers and that they were not from Kokand because they drove cars with Tashkent number plates. They did not use force, Ikramov said. Although, he believes, if he had not had a fortified steel door but an old wooden one they would have tried to break it. The next day, on 5 April, Surat Ikramov reported about the night visit to the German and US embassies, saying that the Uzbek authorities were continuing their devilish hunt for independent journalists and human rights activists and that it might be his turn now. He also said that repression against journalists, human rights activists and opposition members had increased in the country and this could not be explained or understood logically. He said that it seemed that the country’s authorities were divided into two camps: good and evil. The former are those who want to cooperate with the West and start reforms in the country; the latter do not want to change anything because they fully sank into crime. “The worse is the better for them. They understand that reforms and freedom will, first of all, be a blow to them, or possibly, there are some selfish interests to destabilise the situation by leading the country to such agony,” Ikramov said. Ikramov said that some information he received from sources in the government enabled him to suggest that there was a serious undercover political fight in the country. This is also proven by the simple observation of certain people in government structures, including in the Interior Ministry and the General-Prosecutor’s Office, and their adequate reaction to criticism and moves to solve problems publicised by the Initiative Group of Independent Human Rights Activists of Uzbekistan. “This means that there are two approaches to critical voices: the first is to listen to them and react if criticism is objective; the second is to crush everything, especially when criticism is objective,” he said. The Uzmetronom.com news portal analysed the latest piece of news about a criminal case against Deutsche Welle journalist Yuriy Chernogayev in a similar angle. An article signed by Kurkmas Muminov says that the latest criminal cases against Deutsche Welle journalists create an impression that someone wants to demonise the Uzbek authorities, above all, President Islam Karimov. The first criminal case launched against Deutsche Welle journalist Natalya Bushuyeva coincided with an EU-Central Asia meeting in Astana on 28 March so that Uzbek Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov felt very uncomfortable at the meeting. Muminov blamed directly the president’s spokesman Alisher Azizhojayev, who is allegedly aiming at the presidential post, for prosecuting the German radio journalists. An Uzbek independent observer told Uznews.net that Yuriy Chernogayev could in no way be called a dangerous journalist that posed a threat to the Uzbek authorities. Chernogayev – who officially works for Uzbek newspapers and cooperates with Russian newspapers and Deutsche Welle – was rather a favourite of the authorities for his skills to be loyal while pretending to be an independent journalist. “Even if Chernogayev has become a target for the Uzbek authorities, then really serious things must be taking place in higher echelons of power which means that repression has gone out of control,” the observer said. “However, it is wrong to blame the spokesman for it but acquit the president who has created this repressive system.” The observer said that the persecution of journalists because of a political fight uncovered a deeper crisis to which Islam Karimov had led the country. “I do not think that journalists or human rights activists care which precisely clan is behind repression. I think that neither Chernogayev nor Ikramov want to become pawns in someone’s game,” the Uzbek observer said.

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