Uzbek opposition holds protests in foreign capitals

Tuesday, 06 February 2007

Uznews.net – The Uzbek opposition and their foreign colleagues demanded in a number of foreign capitals on 5 February that Islam Karimov resign from the post of president of Uzbekistan and free all the political prisoners from Uzbek jails. Protest actions organised by the Committee of the National Salvation of Uzbekistan and the Uzbek Initiative-London organisation were mainly held outside Uzbek embassies. A number of Kyrgyz human rights organisations were the first to express their protest against the actions of the Uzbek authorities; they picketed the Uzbek embassy in Bishkek and demanded that political prisoners be released. A subsequent picket was held in Moscow, also outside the Uzbek embassy. Bahrom Hamrayev, an Uzbek opposition figure and human rights activist, said that the Moscow authorities sanctioned a small picket involving no more than 15 people, that is why many people who came to take part in it were standing at some distance and showed their support and solidarity from there. Hamrayev said that protesters had demanded that political prisoners – from Muhammad Bekjan, a brother of the leader of the opposition Erk party, Muhammad Solih, jailed in a new wave of severe repressions in 1999, to Umida Niyazova, a human rights activist who is one of the latest victims of the regime arrested on 22 January – be released. Bahrom Hamrayev also said that the Uzbek democrats had been supported by the National Bolshevik Party of Russia, whose members also joined the picket outside the Uzbek embassy. They chanted: “Karimov is an enemy of Allah”, “Karimov is a friend of the devil” and “Send Karimov to Turkmenbashi”. Hamrayev said that the Moscow picket had decided not to demand the resignation of Islam Karimov, because, protesters said, they believed that he was no longer the president of Uzbekistan since his powers expired on 22 January. “We told journalists that we would try Karimov under Article of 159 of the Uzbek Criminal Code ‘Attempting to overthrow Uzbekistan’s constitutional system’,” Hamrayev told Uznews.net. Twelve people took part in a protest action outside the Uzbek embassy in the Belgian capital, Brussels. They held placards written in four languages. One of the picket organisers, Dilshod Tillahojayev, said that the protesters had demanded that political prisoners, including Umida Niyazova, be released and Islam Karimov resign. “Islam Karimov’s powers have expired and he should resign. He is an illegitimate president,” Tillahojayev said. In Stockholm, the Swedish capital, a protest action was held outside the European Parliament mission, and 15 people took part in it. Protesters said that they had taken a creative approach to the picket: they made placards showing Islam Karimov as Adolf Hitler, as a vampire and as a contract killer. Protesters also chanted: “Karimov, go!” and “Free Mutabar, Gulbahor and Umida!” Swedish protesters later handed over their demands to a representative of the European parliament and moved to the Swedish Foreign Ministry where they also held their placards and chanted loudly. One protester said that the Swedish law-enforcement agencies were friendly to them. A representative of the Swedish Foreign Ministry accepted their demands, and later even showed them a confirmed copy of their demands, giving the assurance that all their papers would be studied thoroughly. A protest action was also held in London. Uzbek opposition activists said that this was only the start because such protest actions would be held regularly from now on. Uzbek opposition figures in Belgium said that they would hold the next picket as early as 12 February to demand that all the female prisoners be released, above all Mutabar Tajibayeva, Gulbahor Turayeva and Umida Niyazova.