Inmate Dilshod Shohidov’s parents have reported that their son is regularly subjected to acts of torture and similar ill-treatment in a high security prison # 64 / 46 in Navoi city of Navoi region, Expert Working Group (EWG) reports.

According to NGo’s information, EWG has been providing legal aid to Shohidov’s family since 2009. This is not the first time the parents of inmate Dilshod Shohidov seek for the EWG’s assistance in submitting appeals and complaints on their son’s case to the official bodies in Uzbekistan. In spite of numerous appeals on acts of torture and similar ill-treatment addressed by Shohidov’s family to the government bodies torture against inmate Shohidov hasn’t stopped.

Latest available photo of Dilshod Shohidov

This is for the first time Dilshod Shohidov and his parents have decided to make public facts of torture as they don’t see any other means how to inform the competent authorities in Uzbekistan about the abuses in the prison system. Dilshod Shohidov believes that if the acts of torture and similar ill-treatment against him continue in this manner he might risk even losing his life.

The Shohidovs believe that making public the facts of torture against their son inmate Dilshod Shohidov would inform the relative government bodies in Uzbekistan which would take timely measures so that abuses against Dilshod Shohidov stop. Read the full story »

Due to the current departure of pilgrims from around the world, Uzbek “businessmen” (as well as “businesswomen”) of local “black” markets decided to increase their income by simply raising the USD per Uzbek soum (UZS) exchange rate while Uzbek Hajjis to-be do their last preparations, including the financial side of it.

To get to know how “black” exchange market actors do their cynic — but business-and-no-sincerity-proven — operations one could just go to any bazaar where the above mentioned businessmen present. For future Hajjis (Hajji — a status given to those who travelled to holy places of Mekka and Medina in Saudi Arabia during certain time during a year) it’s convenient to have U.S. dollars rather than Uzbek soums simply because of the possibility to exchange the first would be much easier abroad.

Theoretically, to get the American money in their pockets they could just go to any local bank and exchange their valuable soums in to U.S. dollars. But, wait a second! We are in Uzbekistan which is a country where logically approved events have a practically proven controversies. And money exchange is one of the most significant ones in the field of economics. Read the full story »

Editor’s note: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Uzbekistan and Tajikistan this past weekend. High on her agenda was the problematic issue of press freedom and human rights in the two countries. neweurasia’s Tomyris, however, wonders what may have been said — or not said — behind closed doors.

US Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, made her way to and through Central Asia this past weekend – stopping in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – on October 22nd and 23rd.

Here’s a summary of Clinton’s agenda: In Tajikistan, she met with President Emomali Rahmon and Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi to discuss bilateral and regional issues. She also met with locals, to – quite democratically – hear the voices of the people. And in Uzbekistan, Clinton met with President Islam Karimov and Foreign Minister Elyor Ganiev. Cars and technology were on her mind in Tashkent – Clinton visited the new General Motors Powertrain plant where she spoke about the Technology Entrepreneurship Program and Techno-Prize Competition.

About Tajikistan, but also alluding to similar issues in Uzbekistan, Interfax-News reported:

“The United States is concerned by the state of the freedom of the press in Tajikistan…”

And thus there was much discussion about the importance of opening up the media landscape in both former Soviet counties.
Read the full story »

Institut d’Alisher Navoi, a Belgium-based non-profit think tank focused on Central Asian studies in Human Rights, Regional Security, Sustainable Development and Good Governance, released a call to the members of the Security Council that will be held on October 21, 2011, on a new member-state as non-permanent Member-State of this body from among the Asian countries.

The seat is supposed to go to either the Islamic Republic of Pakistan or Kyrgyzstan.

The statement goes:

“In the view of the fact that a membership in this authoritative body of the United Nations means acknowledgement of the contribution of the candidate country to the international peace and stability under the international law, we, representatives of the civil society from Alisher Navoi Institute express our firm discontent with a possible election of Kyrgyzstan to this respective body of this universal organization.

According to independent observers the internal political situation in Kyrgyzstan is far from stability while the central government in Bishkek attempts to convince its own citizens and the world community
in its ability to fully control the situation in the country. But de-facto the Kyrgyz authorities power is restricted just to the northern areas of the country.

An illustrative example, in the middle of August 2010 the mayor of the southern city of Osh, Melis Myrzakmatov ignored the decision of the President Otunbaeva that he should resign. Frankly speaking the internal political situation in this poorest Central Asian nation is on the edges of the anarchy. Different types of public disorders with and without any reason don’t stop in this country. The aggressive form of nationalism against ethnic minorities, especially the Uzbek minorities is fiercely being introduced on the eve of the upcoming presidential elections.”

Read the full story »

Many Westerners view ballroom dance as a stuffy activity in which our parents or grandparents engaged. We have visions of coat tails, long dresses, and couples whirling endlessly around a ballroom floor, barely making eye contact, or even touching each other in any appreciable way. However, anyone who has experienced an international DanceSport competition first-hand knows that the image described above is completely untrue.   

For many former professional ballet or modern dancers, DanceSport has become the way to continue dancing after their careers with professional companies have ended. The prize money and sponsorships can be quite large, and the DanceSport circuit is worldwide. But here’s something you might find interesting: over the last five years, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan have emerged as new DanceSport powerhouses, with multiple couples achieving high rankings internationally and new membership in the World Dance Federation.

Read the full story »

U.S. Embassy in Tashkent has announced its Fourth Annual American Film Festival, October 8-9, 2011.

The Festival will take place at the premises of the Council of Friendship Societies of Uzbekistan (former Muzey Kino).

The First American film festival took place in November 2008. Back then experts evaluated the event as a part of a general revival in cultural ties with the United States.

In 2008, it was the first such event of its kind, and comes three years after Uzbek-American relations went rapidly downhill following the brutal suppression of a demonstration in Andijan in May 2005, and Washington’s subsequent demand for an independent investigation Read the full story »

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.