Remembering the Andijan Massacre One Year On (transcript)
15-May-2006 @ 16:35:11
One year ago today in Andijan, in the north eastern part of Uzbekistan, where the country wedges itself like a spade into Kyrgistan, Islam Karimov's government fired on hundreds of unarmed demonstrators protesting against the regime's repressive policies and in solidarity with a group of businessmen who'd been imprisoned on charges of being part of islamic extremist groups.
Official reports say under 200 were killed, though NGOs working in the area say the number is perhaps fivefold higher than admitted by Uzbek government sources.
Although the reports from independent media witnesses suggest there were no religious overtones to the demonstrations, no chanting of "Allah Akbar", or similar, the government of Uzbekistan has consistently insisted the demonstrations were orchestrated by extremist forces working in Uzbekistan.
This is largely the line taken by the Kremlin, and Russian press, with China and Russia backing Karimov's actions saying they were "a necessary use of force to to fight extremism and separatism." Whilst the US has suspended financial aid and imposed visa restrictions on members of Karimov's elite.
Karimov has refused to allow an independent enquiry into the events of the 13th May 2005 massacre, and since then the repressive tendencies have grown stronger, with NGOs being kicked out, even UNHCR have left as of 17 April.
The Karimov regime have played the "Islam card" in the past, using this as justification for cracking down on opposition groups, and dragging their heals on democratic reform.
Prior to the events of last May, things were getting worse in Uzbekistan, after terrorist attacks in spring of 2004, much of the progress that was being made towards reform was halted. At roughly the same time relations with the US which hitherto had been growing warmer started to change.
Uzbekistan was, of course, one of the countries which supported military action in Afghanistan and Iraq. Until August 2005, it housed the K2 American airbase, and was pivotal for military operations in the region. After the events in Andijan, the US was given contractual notice to vacate these bases. Karimov believed the US presence to be corrosive and bore significant responsibility for unrest.
So how have these developments affected the region and what is the prognosis for the future?
As Uzbekistan turns away from Washington, it is looking increasingly towards Moscow,and it has been welcomed by Putin, who sees this as another opportunity to rebuild alliances of old that are important strategically, economically. Russian's concern for her internal security is also a factor, with Moscow preferring the status quo to unpredictable changes that she believes may strengthen extremist and nationalist forces that pose a threat.
Russia is doing herself no favours if she does not support movement towards more democratic forms of government in these regions. Attempts to keep the lid tightly clamped on these societies, and supporting governments like Karimov's may postpone the progression of events, but when confrontation does erupt it is likely may be far more violent and unpredictable.
Democratic and free market economic reforms are what is needed to underpin the establishment of stable societies -- by far the most pressing problems, though Moscow, despite now being in a position to influence events, looks in no mood to support much needed reform. In Uzbekistan and elsewhere in the region, failure to address these questions leaves a dangerous opening for extremism.
Authoritarian clampdowns, of the type that resulted in the massacre in Andijan, will only serve to strengthen the rise of fundamentalism so feared by both Moscow and Beijing, and will not make central Asia any safer.
posted by Ziba Norman
Permanent link to this post: http://www.t-i.org.uk/blog/index.php?post=1147707311
.
Official reports say under 200 were killed, though NGOs working in the area say the number is perhaps fivefold higher than admitted by Uzbek government sources.
Although the reports from independent media witnesses suggest there were no religious overtones to the demonstrations, no chanting of "Allah Akbar", or similar, the government of Uzbekistan has consistently insisted the demonstrations were orchestrated by extremist forces working in Uzbekistan.
This is largely the line taken by the Kremlin, and Russian press, with China and Russia backing Karimov's actions saying they were "a necessary use of force to to fight extremism and separatism." Whilst the US has suspended financial aid and imposed visa restrictions on members of Karimov's elite.
Karimov has refused to allow an independent enquiry into the events of the 13th May 2005 massacre, and since then the repressive tendencies have grown stronger, with NGOs being kicked out, even UNHCR have left as of 17 April.
The Karimov regime have played the "Islam card" in the past, using this as justification for cracking down on opposition groups, and dragging their heals on democratic reform.
Prior to the events of last May, things were getting worse in Uzbekistan, after terrorist attacks in spring of 2004, much of the progress that was being made towards reform was halted. At roughly the same time relations with the US which hitherto had been growing warmer started to change.
Uzbekistan was, of course, one of the countries which supported military action in Afghanistan and Iraq. Until August 2005, it housed the K2 American airbase, and was pivotal for military operations in the region. After the events in Andijan, the US was given contractual notice to vacate these bases. Karimov believed the US presence to be corrosive and bore significant responsibility for unrest.
So how have these developments affected the region and what is the prognosis for the future?
As Uzbekistan turns away from Washington, it is looking increasingly towards Moscow,and it has been welcomed by Putin, who sees this as another opportunity to rebuild alliances of old that are important strategically, economically. Russian's concern for her internal security is also a factor, with Moscow preferring the status quo to unpredictable changes that she believes may strengthen extremist and nationalist forces that pose a threat.
Russia is doing herself no favours if she does not support movement towards more democratic forms of government in these regions. Attempts to keep the lid tightly clamped on these societies, and supporting governments like Karimov's may postpone the progression of events, but when confrontation does erupt it is likely may be far more violent and unpredictable.
Democratic and free market economic reforms are what is needed to underpin the establishment of stable societies -- by far the most pressing problems, though Moscow, despite now being in a position to influence events, looks in no mood to support much needed reform. In Uzbekistan and elsewhere in the region, failure to address these questions leaves a dangerous opening for extremism.
Authoritarian clampdowns, of the type that resulted in the massacre in Andijan, will only serve to strengthen the rise of fundamentalism so feared by both Moscow and Beijing, and will not make central Asia any safer.
posted by Ziba Norman
Permanent link to this post: http://www.t-i.org.uk/blog/index.php?post=1147707311
.