[Mb-civic] Uzbekistan: Latest example of amazing US hypocisy

[ean at sbcglobal.net]

The Bush Administration is warm and fuzzy with the ruthless leader of 
Uzbekistan, renowned for human rights abuses and no shred of democracy, 
for torture and repression, but our important "partner in the war on terror." 
The latest news from there puts the hypocrisy front and center....
--mha atma


http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1484251,00.html

The Observer Sunday May 15, 2005

Anger as US backs brutal regime

Human rights concerns as troops put down uprising in Uzbekistan

By Nick Paton Walsh in Moscow and Paul Harris in New York

Heated criticism was growing last night over 'double standards' by
Washington over human rights, democracy and 'freedom' as fresh evidence
emerged of just how brutally Uzbekistan, a US ally in the 'war on terror',
put down Friday's unrest in the east of the country.

Outrage among human rights groups followed claims by the White House
on Friday that appeared designed to justify the violence of the regime of
President Islam Karimov, claiming - as Karimov has - that 'terrorist
groups' may have been involved in the uprising.

Critics said the US was prepared to support pro-democracy unrest in some
states, but condemn it in others where such policies were inconvenient.

Witnesses and analysts familiar with the region said most protesters were
complaining about government corruption and poverty, not espousing Islamic
extremism.

The US comments were seized on by Karimov, who said yesterday that the
protests were organised by Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamic group often accused
by Tashkent of seditious extremism. Yet Washington, which has expressed
concern over the group's often hardline message, has yet to designate it a
terrorist group.

Scott McClellan, the White House spokesman, tried to deflect accusations
of the contradictory stance when he said it was clear the 'people of
Uzbekistan want to see a more representative and democratic government.
But that should come through peaceful means, not through violence.'

Washington has often been accused of being involved in a conspiracy of
silence over Uzbekistan's human rights record since that country was
declared an ally in the 'war on terror' in 2001.

Uzbekistan is believed to be one of the destination countries for the
highly secretive 'renditions programme', whereby the CIA ships terrorist
suspects to third-party countries where torture is used that cannot be
employed in the US. Newspaper reports in America say dozens of suspects
have been transferred to Uzbek jails.

The CIA has never officially commented on the programme. But flight logs
obtained by the New York Times earlier this month show CIA-linked planes
landing in Tashkent with the same serial numbers as jets used to transfer
prisoners around the world. The logs show at least seven flights from 2002
to late 2003, originating from destinations in the Middle East and Europe.

Other countries used in the programme include Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan,
Syria and Morocco. A handful of prisoners' accounts - including that of
Canadian Maher Arar - that emerged after release show they were tortured
and abused in custody.

Critics say the US double standards are evident on the State Department
website, which accuses Uzbek police and security services of using
'torture as a routine investigation technique' while giving the same law
enforcement services $79 million in aid in 2002. The department says
officers who receive training are vetted to ensure they have not tortured
anyone.

The aid paradox was highlighted by the former British Ambassador to
Uzbekistan, Craig Murray, who criticised coalition support for Uzbekistan
when they were planning invading Iraq, using similar abuses as
justification.

Murray said yesterday: 'The US will claim that they are teaching the
Uzbeks less repressive interrogation techniques, but that is basically not
true. They help fund the budget of the Uzbek security services and give
tens of millions of dollars in military support. It is a sweetener in the
agreement over which they get their air base.'

Murray said that during a series of suicide bombings in Tashkent in March
2004, before he was sacked as UK ambassador, he was shown transcripts of
telephone intercepts in which known al-Qaeda representatives were asking
each other 'what the hell was going on. But then Colin Powell came out and
said that al-Qaeda were behind the blasts. I don't think the US even
believe their own propaganda.'

The support continues, seen by many as a 'pay-off' for the Khanabad base.
The US Embassy website says Uzbekistan got $10m for 'security and law
enforcement support' in 2004.

Last year Human Rights Watch released a 319-page report detailing the use
of torture by Uzbekistan's security services. It said the government was
carrying out a campaign of torture and intimidation against Muslims that
had seen 7,000 people imprisoned, and documented at least 10 deaths,
including Muzafar Avozov, who was boiled to death in 2002.

'Torture is rampant,' the reported concluded. Human Rights Watch called
for the US and its allies to condemn Uzbekistan's tactics.




-- 
You are currently on Mha Atma's Earth Action Network email list, 
option D (up to 3 emails/day).  To be removed, or to switch options 
(option A - 1x/week, option B - 3/wk, option C - up to 1x/day, option D - 
up to 3x/day) please reply and let us know!  If someone forwarded you 
this email and you want to be on our list, send an email to 
ean at sbcglobal.net and tell us which option you'd like.


"In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act."
   ---   George Orwell


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.islandlists.com/pipermail/mb-civic/attachments/20050516/a34fb16c/attachment.htm