Uzbekistan, WOT Ally, Slaughtering Its Citizens While World Looks Away

[NATO AIR]

Ally or not, we cannot stand by and let this happen without taking a stand against the slaughter that occurred recently in Uzbekistan. These people need our voice and outrage, not our indifference.

Ghastly slaughter, videos of body bags and wounded survivors

http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2005/05/ghastly-slaughter-reported-in-andijan.html

How the US government is getting what's happening in Uzbekistan all wronghttp://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/005/623dlyqv.asp

The bare facts about the Andijan events are simple, but were also predictable. First, the Ferghana Valley and neighboring regions of eastern Uzbekistan have been seething with discontent since late last year, when thousands turned out to demonstrate against high taxes and restrictive state policies on commerce. The protests began in the ancient city of Qoqand, which also has a tradition of local political rule, and quickly spread to Andijan province.

This turmoil is unrelated to radical Islam, and Islamist extremists were unable to capitalize on it. Nor is it motivated by desperate poverty; rather, it is an expression of rising expectations. The democratizing revolution in Kyrgyzstan, which lies on the border near Andijan, electrified the Ferghana Valley. The unsettled Uzbeks now have, next door, a successful example of direct action against unjust rule.

The crisis accelerated six weeks ago when citizens in the town of Andijan began peaceful demonstrations
against the imprisonment of 23 young, local businessmen. The 23 were accused of belonging to an "Islamist conspiracy" called Akramiyya, which in reality seems to have been nothing more than a local spiritual and charitable circle. The Uzbek authorities and Russian and foreign news agencies and blogs have together accused Akramiyya of affiliation with Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT--the Liberation party), an extremist, neo-Wahhabi organization which is banned in several countries.

But Sheikh Muhammad Sadiq Muhammad Yusuf, the 52-year-old, former grand mufti, or chief Muslim cleric for Central Asia, whom I interviewed at length in December, and who is notably pro-American, denies the charge that Akramiyya is connected to HuT. According to him (as reported by the Jamestown Foundation), Akramiyya "has nothing in common with Hizb-ut-Tahrir and other radical political Islamic organizations."

Although a reliable, detailed account of last week's incidents remains elusive, it is certain that Uzbek troops fired on demonstrators in Andijan, killing an unknown but significant number of people. Citizens fought back and killed some members of the security forces. In the aftermath of this tragedy, Uzbeks began streaming from Ferghana toward the Kyrgyz border, convinced their lives were in danger and that they had to reach a territory where some kind of democratic norms were in place.

Rest of article can be found @ the link

Via Instapundit...Reporter eyewitness tells NPR about the slaughter of what she believe is over 1,000 people, not including the women and children, who seem to have "vanished"

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4655624

 

[Annie]

Ally or not, we cannot stand by and let this happen without taking a stand against the slaughter that occurred recently in Uzbekistan. These people need our voice and outrage, not our indifference.

There is agreement, some might even be with the United States government, links at site:

http://www.michaeltotten.com/archives/000821.html

Dump Karimov
Uzbekistan was instrumental in assisting the United States in the overthrow of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Declaring bastard-in-chief Islam Karimov a realpolitik “ally” of the United States was justifiable under the circumstances. It was the Roosevelt-Churchill-Stalin anti-Hitler alliance writ small.

But all bogus friendships must come to an end. The United States had no choice but to break with the Soviet Union and send “Uncle Joe” Stalin packing after the Nazi regime was demolished. Likewise, it’s time to dump Islam Karimov. The Taliban are history. They are not returning to power. Meanwhile, here is what our pal in Tashkent has been up to.
Residents of Uzbekistan's eastern city of Andizhan searched desperately for missing relatives and friends yesterday after the massacre of hundreds of civilians by government troops sent in to crush an armed uprising.

As calm returned to the city of 300,000 people and the first burials took place, it became apparent that the assault, ostensibly aimed at armed insurgents, swept away many innocent lives. As many as 500 bodies were retrieved after the violence. Uzbek soldiers reportedly fired into a crowd of thousands protesting over hardships in the former Soviet republic as police officers begged them not to shoot.
"They shot at us like rabbits," one youth said. Troops later moved in among the bodies, finishing off some of the wounded with a single bullet, according to another witness. Panic broke out as security forces fired on the crowd from roof tops and pursued fleeing demonstrators down narrow alleyways.

"Those wounded who tried to get away were finished with single shots from a Kalashnikov rifle," one man said. "Three or four soldiers were assigned to killing the wounded."
At this point, buddying up with Karimov is likely to cost more in PR than it’s worth in tactical assistance on the ground. It’s bad politics. A serious case of blowback isn’t hard to predict. Plenty of people who were fired on in that crowd could be counted as America’s friends – but not if we’re overly chummy with the men who would kill them. It’s also immoral.
George W. Bush knows this as well as the next person. He said it himself at the Air Force Academy in 2004.

For decades, free nations tolerated oppression in the Middle East for the sake of stability. In practice, this approach brought little stability and much oppression, so I have changed this policy.
Time to apply lessons learned to Uzbekistan.
Posted by Michael J. Totten at May 16, 2005 10:42 PM

 

[NATO AIR]

There is agreement, some might even be with the United States government, links at site:

http://www.michaeltotten.com/archives/000821.html

A couple of connects I have on the Hill are telling me Lugar, Hagel and Warner (among other GOP senators) are pushing the prez to dump Uzbekistan and make a loud and clear message of support for those who've survived the slaughter and their cause of freedom, free enterprise and open government.

I don't see why we shouldn't. We'll end up in another year or two with a free, pro-American government in Uzbekistan if we do this and do it right. Hell, even the Russians might prefer that over the likely alternative, a bitter civil war in a few years.

 

[Annie]

A couple of connects I have on the Hill are telling me Lugar, Hagel and Warner (among other GOP senators) are pushing the prez to dump Uzbekistan and make a loud and clear message of support for those who've survived the slaughter and their cause of freedom, free enterprise and open government.

I don't see why we shouldn't. We'll end up in another year or two with a free, pro-American government in Uzbekistan if we do this and do it right. Hell, even the Russians might prefer that over the likely alternative, a bitter civil war in a few years.

Leader? Not the country?

 

[IControlThePast]

I've heard reports that we expedited Terrorists to Uzbekistan where they could be tortured by the local governments to extract information, but I don't know how reliable that is.

The funny thing is I watched Fox refer to the anti-torture protestors there as Terrorists

 

[NATO AIR]

Leader? Not the country?

No reason it can't be both. Its good if the Dems can shut off their anti-bush impulses for a minute and this country can send a united signal to Karimov and the rest of these tyrants that when you cross the line, there will be a steep price. You will be isolated. You will be undermined. You will, eventually, fall.

 

[Annie]

No reason it can't be both. Its good if the Dems can shut off their anti-bush impulses for a minute and this country can send a united signal to Karimov and the rest of these tyrants that when you cross the line, there will be a steep price. You will be isolated. You will be undermined. You will, eventually, fall.

I do think that is the message that is being sent, without alienating the populace.

 

[NATO AIR]

I do think that is the message that is being sent, without alienating the populace.

I think so to an extent. What is needed now is something like what Pres. Bush did with Lebanon and Syria. He expressed clear support for the Lebanese movement and warned Syria of the consequences of trying to reverse the advance of freedom.

And of course, Iraq or not, this country can and will do what it must if it has to. We haven't even come to mobilizing like we did for WW2, hell, not even close to what we did for the Korean War or Vietnam.

The Chinese, Syrians and Iranians (and increasingly, Chavez & Castro) should be well aware of that.

 

[Annie]

I think so to an extent. What is needed now is something like what Pres. Bush did with Lebanon and Syria. He expressed clear support for the Lebanese movement and warned Syria of the consequences of trying to reverse the advance of freedom.

And of course, Iraq or not, this country can and will do what it must if it has to. We haven't even come to mobilizing like we did for WW2, hell, not even close to what we did for the Korean War or Vietnam.

The Chinese, Syrians and Iranians (and increasingly, Chavez & Castro) should be well aware of that.

No arguement here. Not quite sure how much clearer we can make it to Castro though!

 

[NATO AIR]

No arguement here. Not quite sure how much clearer we can make it to Castro though!

I'd drop the embargo and watch his puppet regime collapse once his no.1, 2, 3 and 4 (etc etc) excuses for Cuba's problems were revealed to the world to be BS.

Flood that island with American goods, ideas and money. A peaceful invasion that would make it clear to him we play for keeps, one way or another.

That's just me though, based on my experiences with exiles in Miami.

 

[Annie]

I'd drop the embargo and watch his puppet regime collapse once his no.1, 2, 3 and 4 (etc etc) excuses for Cuba's problems were revealed to the world to be BS.

Flood that island with American goods, ideas and money. A peaceful invasion that would make it clear to him we play for keeps, one way or another.

That's just me though, based on my experiences with exiles in Miami.

Other than a few puppets who would ignore, who doesn't get it? I wouldn't drop the embargo, not til he's dead.

 

[NATO AIR]

Other than a few puppets who would ignore, who doesn't get it? I wouldn't drop the embargo, not til he's dead.

A great debate for another day eh?

For now I just hope we can succeed in helping the Uzbeks stop this bloodthirsty tyranny.