NEWS: U.S Ally: Uzbekistan kills over 500 protesters

The Uzbek Army has opened fire on protesters and killed over 500 of them in the town of Tefektosh. The protesters accused the government of failing to improve living conditions. Unrest is spreading in the muslim nation of Uzbekistan who's government is pro-American and an American ally.



The Uzbek regime is commiting mass murder and has to be stopped. There can be no question as to the barbarism of the Karimov regime as can be clearly seen by the slaughter of hundreds of civlians demanding a better life.

But how can we see an end to this regime when it is backed by Washington?

Uzbekistan is a close ally of the United States yet conflicts with the ideological ideals of the War on Terror. The Uzbek government is repeatedly condemned for its human rights violations and claims of torture.

Days after the 9/11 attacks George W. Bush rang President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan and asked for his assistance in using Uzbek bases for Operation Enduring Freedom.

The U.S governments own Committee on International Relations has this to say about Uzbekistan:

The U.S. and allies like Uzbekistan are in the midst of an existential war, which is yet to be defined and fought effectively. While it may take some more time for us to develop correct strategies against the new enemy, we need to keep in mind that Uzbekistan is a strategic nuisance for militant Islamist groups because it may be one of the few countries that can defeat them if the government can create political space to allow the native, tolerant form of Islam to flourish.

For now, unfortunately, the U.S. and the Uzbek government are losing the battle for the hearts and minds of the Uzbek people. The reasons are simple: Post-Soviet transition problems, worsened by the politically and economically oppressive policies of the current regime have produced tremendous poverty, corruption and resentment among the people. Uzbekistan has a horrendous human rights record, with ongoing torture in its prisons, creating many "Enemies of State," as the title of a recent Human Rights Watch report correctly identifies.

Why is Uzbekistans "horrendous human rights record" totally acceptable to the U.S administration? How can they reconcile their good relations with such a barbaric regime? Why do they feel the need to ally itself with a government such as this and in the same breath criticise North Korea and China on theirs?

Could it really be that the United States government is actually not interested in the rights of people across the globe at all? In actual fact its a front for their attacks on oil rich nations such as Afghanistan and Iraq? And the rhetoric against the "human rights attrocities" of North Korea are only voiced as a response to the threat North Korea poses to American interests?

Funny how Uzbekistan can murder 500 civilians protesting about the dire circumstances they are living in and the Americans wont say squat because they are allies.

I think the U.S government should be forced to explain its cosy relationship with such a regime when it is so publically hell-bent on ridding the world of such regimes. Is it only ridding the World of Uzbek-style regimes when its in their favour?

Related News Links:
wwwc.house.gov

[edit on 15/5/05 by subz]

The news story on yahoo has been renamed "Uzbek Unrest Persists, Soldiers Killed." No mention of the 500+ civilians shot to death, just the soldiers of the corrupt Uzbek regime. Whats the deal with that?



The Uzbeks people who are fleeing the Uzbek Army. They dont look like insurgents to me. How will this be explained?

Yet another 200 people are murdered by a key U.S ally, Uzbekistan, and not a peep coming from those bastions of morality, the Bush administration

from CBS news:
The government of President Islam Karimov has denied opening fire on demonstrators as witnesses have claimed, but the authoritarian government has sought to restrict access for reporters in the affected areas.

from CBS news:
If the reports of more than 700 deaths since Friday hold true and if Uzbek forces were behind the killing - as most reports indicate - it would be some of the worst cases of bloodshed involving a government's troops and civilian demonstrators since the massacre of protesters in China's Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Worst case of governmental massacre of protestors since Tiananmen Square! Why doesnt any one care about this?

CBS News

[edit on 16/5/05 by subz]

Oh crap, that place is a nightmare.

All the previous soviet 'stans are in chaos, that place is a mess.

You know what, how many people have died since the Soviets split up, i mean over 10 wars, unrest everywhere. It's a complete mess.

[edit on 16-5-2005 by rapier28]

China has murderd millions, so what's your point here? Perhaps the world should cut off China..........

because dont you know the US only supports governments that are for freedom and democracy and doesnt deal with tyrranies except 'smoke em out'??



really gotta love that US hypocrisy, i'm waitin for seekerof to come in with a few sources and to tell us all what a great and free land Uzbekistan is.

*waits*

Xenesys

Don't hijack the thread with irrelevant and false postings.

The millions that died in China were due to famine.

Subs

The reason why foreign governments are slow to react to the protests in Uzbeck is because they probably didn't have a hand in it unlike Rose/Orange.

[edit on 16-5-2005 by rapier28]

China has murderd millions, so what's your point here? Perhaps the world should cut off China..........

Thats not the point here! China is not a U.S ally, Uzbekistan is and it has not been criticised by the Bush administration for these attrocites. Far from it, it enjoys a cosy relationship with the U.S government!

The major issue here is not that the U.S is responsible for the situation in Uzbekistan. The issue is that the U.S is an ally of Uzbekistan and has a huge military presence there. Why is the U.S not preventing this Tianamen-esque massacre of civilians? Even the U.S Committee on Foreign Relations acknowledges the humman rights attrocities of this U.S ally.

Why no justice for Uzbek civilians? Why are they not worthy of U.S support?

Thank god a discussion has sprung up on this issue. I was getting worried.

[edit on 16/5/05 by subz]

Rapier, the British Foreign Secretary has slammed Uzbekistan for their actions. While the U.S hasnt uttered a peep.

Karimov makes Saddam look like a pussy cat yet he enjoys the supportive silence of the United States. It just negates all the hollow U.S rhetoric about spreading democracy across the globe. If that truly was the reason why the United States is invading countries and engaging in brinkmanship with Iran and North Korea then they:

1) should not be allied with Uzbekistan
2) should be threatening Karimov's regime with annihilation
3) should be offering support for this Uzbek popular uprising
4) should be seeking U.N sanctions for Uzbekistan

The fact that they are not doing a single thing from the above list speaks volumes for the REAL motivations for Bush's foreign policy.

Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are all devoid of democracy yet they are all U.S allies. Wheres the justice?

[edit on 16/5/05 by subz]

Also covered in this thread.

That thread is more about the difference in reactions between the British and the United States,

Quite frankly the more people discuss the Uzbekistan issue the better. This is the clear cut issue i've been waiting for. Its an unequivocal bullseye for the anti-Bush movement. The U.S actions cannot be defended here and it could not be any clearer.

And if George were to lauch an invasion of AssKrakistan tomorrow, how many people now complaining of the current Administration's policies would start screaming about "American Imperialism"?

Bad enough the Administration can't figure out the "one war at a time" thing. and now you want to criticize because he doesn't start another one?

Hmm. It's interesting here, that no matter how many of these "protests" turn violent, where the first bodies to fall are those of the *soldiers", the cries are for sympathy for the hostile mob. No one here even tries to understand the concept of "agents provocateurs" as long as it supports an anti-US agenda.

Oh, and lemme guess. these protests were of the Muslim minority attempting to force change in a nation they're relatively recent immigrants to?

Until you've been the guy standing in front of an incited, hostile mob situation, I believe you really have little credibility in condemning them for firing back.

Spun another way, Uzbek troops showed remarkable restraint in holding off their retaliation until long after the mob was out of control.

And since Amnesty International does everything it can to suppress non lethal technologies that smaller nations could afford (pepper sprays, tasers, sonics, coagulants, water cannons, slippery stuff) they were allowed *no alternative* except lethal force.

But of course, they're military, and allied with the US. They're supposed to allow themselves to be torn to shreds by an enraged, incised mob.

Bah.

Originally posted by subz
Rapier, the British Foreign Secretary has slammed Uzbekistan for their actions. While the U.S hasnt uttered a peep.

Karimov makes Saddam look like a pussy cat yet he enjoys the supportive silence of the United States. It just negates all the hollow U.S rhetoric about spreading democracy across the globe. If that truly was the reason why the United States is invading countries and engaging in brinkmanship with Iran and North Korea then they:

1) should not be allied with Uzbekistan
2) should be threatening Karimov's regime with annihilation
3) should be offering support for this Uzbek popular uprising
4) should be seeking U.N sanctions for Uzbekistan

The fact that they are not doing a single thing from the above list speaks volumes for the REAL motivations for Bush's foreign policy.

Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are all devoid of democracy yet they are all U.S allies. Wheres the justice?

[edit on 16/5/05 by subz]

Theres "starting a war" and theres "not being allied with" in regards to Uzbekistan. It doesnt take any bloody effort not to ally yourself with a tyranical regime when your supposedly on a crusade against the very thing your ally is doing.

Dont try and make out like Bush is damned if he does and damned if he doesnt here. He is a hypocrit and you cannot explain away his actions!

Phugedaboudet, im afraid youre full of crap buddy. If the Uzbek populace were as you described then your own countries Foreign Relations Committee wouldnt be saying " Uzbekistan has a horrendous human rights record" now would it?

I swear to god you right wing zealots would try and explain away the fact that the Earth is round if it suited your agenda.

[edit on 16/5/05 by subz]

Originally posted by Phugedaboudet
And if George were to lauch an invasion of AssKrakistan tomorrow, how many people now complaining of the current Administration's policies would start screaming about "American Imperialism"?

You are absolutely right here. However, I suppose what people would like to see is not an invasion, but just a consistent and fair policy.

Karimov's henchmen used boiling water on prisoners. That sounds like some of the worst things that Saddam perpetrated. And we got a whole lot of Saddam in the media. Now, same thing is happening, and all of a sudden it's OK. In addition, we are paying $50M a year to Mr. Karimov.

People just want the policies to be fair.

Who's asking for Uzbekistan to be invaded? Not me, I dont think any one has asked for it have they? Funny how you assume the answer to everything is invasion.

We expect the United States to not ally itself with the very type of scum they purport to be ridding the World from.

Its not bloody rocket science.

Originally posted by subz

Worst case of governmental massacre of protestors since Tiananmen Square! Why doesnt any one care about this?

You continue to proclaim this when you should know it is a lie....

Why do you proclaim this?....simply because in this case the US has seen the Uzbek government as an ally against the war on terror.

Those people taken from the prisons where regular criminals and Islamic extremists. It is also possible some of the people might have been innocent, but how do we know for certain?....

The Uzbek unrest began overnight Friday when protesters freed as many as 2,000 prisoners,including the 23 members of the Akramia Islamic group on trial on charges of being members of a group allied with the outlawed radical Islamic party Hizb-ut-Tahrir. It seeks to create a worldwide Islamic state and has been forced underground throughout most of Central Asia and Russia.

Excerpted from.
wfrv.com...

Yes, something must be done, but by outright lying and claiming this is the worse massacre since Tiananmen Square because you see it as a political tool that you can use against the US government is wrong.

[edit on 16-5-2005 by Muaddib]

This is one of the reasons why people hate USA because you're government is an hypocrit one. They have good relations with countries they want, even if they kill their population. If the country help USA, they love them even if they are butchers.

F*** bush's administration. Why did you re-elected him?

Originally posted by Muaddib
Those people taken from the prisons where regular criminals and Islamic extremists. It is also possible some of the people might have been innocent, but how do we know for certain?....

Muaddib the "criminals" that were released were almost entirely religous prisoners much as the Falun Gong are in China. Karimov arbitrarily arrests any one who does not subscribe to the state authourised form of Islam. They are prisoners due to Karimov's religous intolerance, nothing more. Also every news carrier has reported seeing women and children being shot in the protests. Were they prisoners too?

The 700 people known to of been killed are mostly comprised of civilians who were protesting against the very human rights violations acknowledged by the U.S Foreign Relations Committee.

Originally posted by Muaddib
You continue to proclaim this when you should know it is a lie....

How is it a lie? Its been said by CBS news as well as Reuters. Can you enlighten me to its falsehood?

Are you saying the U.S report on Uzbekistan is wrong and that they are indeed a tolerant, democratic and peacful regime? I think youre pretty deluded if you do.

Originally posted by Muaddib
Yes, something must be done, but by outright lying and claiming this is the worse massacre since Tiananmen Square because you see it as a political tool that you can use against the US government is wrong.

The main news carriers are refering to it as the worst massacre since Tiananmen Square, not just me. You tow the U.S administration line just as diligently as I contradict it so dont try and negate my stance because of its consistancy ok.

Karimov's regime is hashly criticised in that U.S FRC report yet it condones being its ally. Have you read the report? Its pretty damning, do you agree with the report or is that left-wing propaganda as well?

[edit on 16/5/05 by subz]

How exactly can it be the worse massacre since Tiananmen Square if in Sudan only since 2003 until now there have been more than 415,000 people who have been killed by Islamic extremists, either directly with violence or by starving them to death....

It is very convinient to call it now the "worse humanitarian case since Tainanmen Square" because the US sees the government of Uzbek as an ally against the war on terror.

It is rather ironic that the same people who claim that the US should not try to stop regimes nomatter what they do, are now saying the US government should do something about this....

Originally posted by subz
.................
Are you saying the U.S report on Uzbekistan is wrong and that they are indeed a tolerant, democratic and peacful regime? I think youre pretty deluded if you do.
........

Did i say that?.... What i find ironic is that now because the US sees this govenrment as an ally agaisnt the war on terror...suddenly what happens here is "the worse that has happened since Tiananmen Square".... That is the lie.

Yes, something must be done about this, but again...using this as a political tool to try to blame the US government once more for what is happening in other countries is too convinient for those people who always have an agenda against the US government...and you are one of those people Subz.