Posted on 05/17/2005 1:35:50 PM PDT by Lukasz
Yesterday in Tashkent there was a demonstration in remembrance of the dead during the weekend events in Andijan. Only a few Uzbek human rights activists with carnations and about 30 Russian journalists showed up for the meeting. The main question they all had was: Why does nobody react to the tragic events in Andijan? Kommersant’s special correspondent Mikhail ZYGAR’ got his own answer for the question.
As strange as it seems, the Tashkent population is aware of what happened in Andijan, or, more likely, they can guess. The local media reported only President Karimov’s description of the events, but it was enough information for the locals.
“Imagine, I come home, rush to the TV and try to find out what is happening in Andujan. And there is nothing in the box – just a dark screen,” Shukrat, local entrepreneur, complains to me. “The radio is also silent. It’s funny in its own way. When nothing is happening –everything works just fine. But as soon as there is some sort of turmoil – oops, and they turn off the switch. There is no TV translation. So, we learned, if the TV doesn’t work it means something terrible is happening. And, here’s one more rule. The reality is opposite than the government tells us. If the government says that they are few victims, it is mean there are piles of them. If they insist that terrorists attacked, that means that law enforcements chopped somebody for a salad and are now denying so. So, that how was it in Andijan? Tell me!”
Shukrat of course just pretends. There is plenty information in Tashkent. It is coming from the Internet, the BBC satellite channels and Euronews. Also, Russian channels sometimes are not turned off at time.
“I came home recently, turned on TV, and they say in there:”Karimov is the most ruthless ruler in CIS.” I even jumped and called my wife. An in that very moment the TV goes off the air. So, we just rest.”
There is one more reliable source of information -- phone calls from the relatives. The land lines don’t work in most of the cities, but there is still, not quite stable but operational, mobile connection. “The law enforcements also use cell phones so that’s why they don’t turn it off,” the Andijan locals told me. As of right now, the main attention in Uzbekistan is not with Andijan but with a little town of Karasu, laying in the border with Kyrgyzia. People are talking that the Andijan rebellion is crushed, but authorities still didn’t touch Karasu yet, despite the fact that for already several days the power belongs to people there. Karasu locals seized the mayor and burnt the city administration to the ground. For several days there are no police, security service and any other law enforcements. The town population fixed the missing link of the bridge to Kyrgyzia and thousands of people rushed across the border to Osh, Kyrgyz city. The people of the Fergana Valley in Uzbekistan speak about the post-revolutionary Kyrgyzia as of the Promised Land.
The telephone and Internet are used to send messages about the time and place of the memorial meeting. The meeting is held at three o’clock in the after noon next to the Memorial of the Courage-- the monument for the victims of horrible Tashkent earthquake of 1966. Local human right activists decided to bring flowers to the monument and thus commemorate the dead in Andijan.
There are only a few people in the monument’s square. One can count maybe 10 meeting participants and about 30 Russian journalists.
“When we just started to gather here, the authorities were trying to disperse us. But after they saw the journalists, they might have gotten scared,” says Elmira Khasanova from the Committee of Freedom of the Word and Expression. She tells that human rights activists came here to show the grief about the perished in Andijan but they do not do anything illegal, they do not call for overthrowing the existence order, for that reason they do not understand how they can be bothering somebody.
The local correspondent of the BBC Alisher runs to monument and yells that right now the law enforcement arrested an Organization of Security in Europe employee and BBC translator. “Let’s go altogether while they’re there in the bus. If we go altogether they might set them free. They are there in the bus!”
The journalists start slowly to move toward the road. The human rights activists are upset they are being left alone but they do not follow. In the meantime, the bus with the arrested leaves.
“We are outraged that there is no mourning announced in the country,” continues Khasanova. Khasanova, together with three other women, laid red carnations at the monument. The photo correspondents and TV cameramen are shooting the commotion. A TV group from one Russian channel does not have time to shoot the scene. The group’s correspondent apologizes and shyly asks the women to pick up the flowers and lay them down again. They followed his instructions.
“Now not only you are shooting us,” says Inera Sapargalieva, director of the Freedom of the Word and Expression Committee, to the journalists. “Do you see that man in the plaid shirt with the little video camera? We have gotten used to his face so much that we have almost stopped paying attention to him. He is from the national security service and he visits all our public actions. He records everything.”
One of the questions that bothers most of the journalists: Why did so few people come to the Memorial of Courage?
The activists just shrug and say that didn’t have time to tell everybody.
“But the main reason for the no shows is because people are afraid!” Agzam Turgunov, director of the Tashkent section of the Erk Party, says. “Right now people are in such a state of fear that if authorities will come to their homes and start killing their children, they will not say anything. They are absolutely paralyzed by fear!”
“And also, we can explain the low political activity because the Uzbek people have not become a state-making nation. People do not feel their responsibility for their own country,” adds Akhtam Shaymardanov from the Party of the Free Farmers. “Right now for instance, the whole Fergana Valley is in a state of shock. But people in Tashkent don’t really care. However, the situation is getting better. Three years ago I couldn’t even think about coming out to the square for the meeting. But right now, I’ve already got used to it. And politicization is going. The people will rise.”
“But maybe these events like in Andijan will scare people even more, and after that nobody would want to come out for the meetings,” I suggest.
“It cannot be any stronger. I mean the fear. The next stage would be people in desperation and hysterics would start to burn themselves,” Shaymardanov answers.
“But what do you, the opposition, propose to do?” I asked again.
“The main thing we want to officially register our parties and to be allowed to conduct open political activities because if they will not let us do so, there will be some strange man and maybe even some extremists and fundamentalists who will ignite the people and lead them.”
The journalists got tired of the conversation and left. The activists decided to go home as well. Several minutes later, three young men run with red carnations to the monument. Apparently they were late for the meeting so they quickly laid the flowers on the pedestal and quickly walk away.
The square in front of the monument is empty. But not for long. The place is immediately occupied by teenagers with skateboards.
After the demonstration, I decided to ask authorities whether there would be an announcement of official mourning. I’m calling the state news agency Zhakhon, which is part of the foreign ministry. The official who picked up the phone is speaking quite abruptly. “Who are you? What do you want?” When I present myself and ask my question, he makes a pause and then continues quickly, quietly and with a totally different tone of voice, “You know, let’s say you never called us. You think we are pleased. Just write the truth and that’s it.” Then he suddenly changed his tone. “Do you have accreditation? There will be no comments. If you want information, you have to listen to the president’s speech.” Then he paused again, and again quietly said, “Good-bye for now. Write the truth.”
Maybe cause we're tired of your Muslim bullsh#t.... so just go away and....... die.
get used to it, you're wearing thin on the world's patience. so climb under a rock where you belong and chop off each other's heads for the religion of peace.
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