Recognition at cost of deaths
Politics and Society, Uzbekistan4 Comments
New York, October 17, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists presented its 2005 International Press Freedom Awards to three journalists and one media lawyer. One of these journalists is Galima Bukharbaeva, former Uzbekistan correspondent for the Institute for War & Peace Reporting. One of the few journalist witnesses, she covered the events in the city of Andijan this May. Her view of what happened is to be found here.
Bukharbaeva, now in exile in the United States, faces criminal prosecution from the Uzbek side.
(For a detailed overview of what seemed like a very confusing and scattered chain of events see Human Rights Watch’s report)
I have mixed feelings about the events of this May. On one hand there is no way to clearly determine the number of victims; many of my friends in Andijan tell me stories that overstate even the reports of non-governmental organizations. On the other hand, I don’t think it is as important to know the numbers as it is to understand the implications for the people of Uzbekistan, and the rulers of Uzbekistan. Clearly, there is much more attention to the country than there was just 6-7 months ago. It seemed like the international community was waiting for something atrocious to happen before it could condemn the regime and issue direct responses to it.
I thank the people who died on the square in Andijan, for what they did has a significant impact on the historical path of this country. There are more and more people in Uzbekistan who resent the current rule and want a change. There is a new opposition party, which is not [yet] labeled outlaw by the government. This party, “Sunshine Uzbekistan” is vigorously covered by the western media. There is a lot of international attention to the events in Uzbekistan; BBC alone has posted 6 articles related to Uzbekistan in the month of October. Hopefully the western media will continue to scrutinize the situation in the country until the elections. With this kind of dynamics I expect either a new president elected by the people, or another revolt, this time supported by the international community, which will oust whoever the current dictator will attempt to put in power.
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Good post, Ali. I’m glad to see you’re on board the site. I look forward to reading more of what y’all have to say.
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