A Voice for the Voiceless

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan – Yusuf Juma, an outspoken Uzbek critic and poet, and his two sons Bobur, 25, and Mashrab, 22, have been jailed since December for minor offenses, and according to their family they have been tortured while in prison.

Yusuf and Bobur were arrested after conducting a protest against President Islam Karimov in December before the election.  They called for a boycott of the election and the resignation of Karimov from the Presidential race.  Karimov was running for his third term as President, which violated a constitutional ban on a President serving more than two terms.  They were arrested and charged with battery, the use of insulting language, and resisting arrest.

Mashrab was arrested in a separate incident and charged with hooliganism, a charge believed to have been brought in an attempt to silence Yusuf.

Relatives who have visited the prisoners say that they have been under strong psychological and physical pressure.  The sons have been forced to watch each other being beaten, and Yusuf was so weak that he was unrecognizable.

Proceedings against Yusuf and Bobur opened on April 8th, but were adjourned to next week.  They face five years in jail if convicted.

Given the start of their trial, the European Union (EU) has been under great pressure to enforce their Central Asia strategy, which they adopted last June.  Critics say that the EU has not fully implemented the human-rights aspects of the strategy against countries like Uzbekistan, including the creation of human-rights benchmarks and the use of sanctions.  The EU is scheduled to review its policy specific to Uzbekistan at the end of April.

For more information, please see:

RadioFreeEurope – Uzbekistan: Family Says Jailed Poet, Sons Are Being Tortured – 11 April 2008

KATMANDU, Nepal – On the day before a nationwide election that would begin the transition to a republic, eight persons were killed in election-related violence. However, on election day voters were unfazed and came out in record numbers to cast their votes.

Maoists report that at least six members of their Young Communist League were fired on. The party also alleged that Rishi Prasad Sharma, a candidate of the Maoist’s Communist Party of Nepal, was shot and killed in the Surkhet district.

Despite the violence on the eve of elections, voters were undeterred. By Thursday afternoon, the Nepali Times reported that 75% of the electorate in Morang and Sunsari and 60% in the far west region of Nepal had voted. The paper also reported that 55% of voters in the Katmandu Valley, and 70% of voters Sindhuli, Parsa, and Rautahat had visited polling stations by mid-afternoon. More than 17.6 million Nepalis are eligible to vote, and experts predict there to be 70% turnout.

Voters came out in large numbers, early and enthusiastically. The election marks a turning point for the country that has undergone a decade of violence sparked by a Maoist insurgency. In order to create a lasting peace, Maoists will be eligible for seats in the Constituent Assembly and take part in reforming the country. The newly elected Constituent Assembly is expected to transform the country by instilling a republic, removing the monarchy, determining how to represent traditionally marginalized ethnic groups, and writing a new constitution.

Navaraj Suwal, a teacher, commented that Nepal’s elections were unprecedented, saying, “This election will determine the kind of laws that will be around for the next hundred years.” Navaraj Suwal was so excited to cast his ballot that he showed up 45 minutes early to be second in line.

For more information, please see:

Impunity Watch – Fears of Violence and Intimidation Ahead of Nepal’s Historic Election – 8 April 2008

Nepali Times – Bullet to Ballot – 11 April 2008

New York Times – Polls Open in Nepal the Day after Violence Killed 8 – 10 April 2008

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan- The new government in Pakistan introduced a bill today to remove restrictions recently imposed upon the media.  When he implemented emergency rule in November 2007, President Pervez Musharraf had banned television and radio news, as well as any criticism of the government.

The new bill was introduced by Information Minister Sherry Rahman.  It will remove power from the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority to close down networks, seize equipment, revoke operating licenses arbitrarily, impose fines for violating the industry code of conduct, and interrupt live coverage.

“We will put our own house in order and we will allow the press to broadcast not just live telecast but all that they feel fit to broadcast,” Rahman announced.

Once these changes are implemented, the new government will return its focus to reinstating the justices removed by Musharraf under emergency rule, a task that is proving to be more difficult.

For more information, please see:

Associated Press – Pakistan Moves to Lift Media Curbs – 11 April 2008

BBC News – Pakistan drops media restrictions – 11 April 2008