BRIEF: Human Rights Activists’ Letter to Uzbek President

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan- The Birdamlik Solidarity Movement, an Uzbek human rights group, has written a letter to President Islam Karimov demanding the release of human rights activists, journalists, and religious prisoners.

The letter mentions that Karimov released five rights activists in early February in response to European Union pressure, and argues that the President only released them for political reasons.  According to the Birdamlik Solidarity Movement, “the tyrant still oppresses the government, and the innocent people who waste away inside prison walls become mere pawns on a chessboard. What will become of their fate, when they are released, and whether they will ever see the light of day remains unknown.”  The letter requests that Western societies acknowledge that Karimov is only doing the bare minimum to maintain good international relations and asks that they demand more.

The letter was copied to United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well the Uzbek Prosecutor’s office and the Uzbek Ombudsman’s office.

For more information, please see:

Inter Press Service – RIGHTS-UZBEKISTAN: ‘EU Must Take Away the Cover’ – 5 March 2008

BRIEF: Human Rights Activists’ Letter to Uzbek President

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan- The Birdamlik Solidarity Movement, an Uzbek human rights group, has written a letter to President Islam Karimov demanding the release of human rights activists, journalists, and religious prisoners.

The letter mentions that Karimov released five rights activists in early February in response to European Union pressure, and argues that the President only released them for political reasons.  According to the Birdamlik Solidarity Movement, “the tyrant still oppresses the government, and the innocent people who waste away inside prison walls become mere pawns on a chessboard. What will become of their fate, when they are released, and whether they will ever see the light of day remains unknown.”  The letter requests that Western societies acknowledge that Karimov is only doing the bare minimum to maintain good international relations and asks that they demand more.

The letter was copied to United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well the Uzbek Prosecutor’s office and the Uzbek Ombudsman’s office.

For more information, please see:

Inter Press Service – RIGHTS-UZBEKISTAN: ‘EU Must Take Away the Cover’ – 5 March 2008

BRIEF: Human Rights Activists’ Letter to Uzbek President

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan- The Birdamlik Solidarity Movement, an Uzbek human rights group, has written a letter to President Islam Karimov demanding the release of human rights activists, journalists, and religious prisoners.

The letter mentions that Karimov released five rights activists in early February in response to European Union pressure, and argues that the President only released them for political reasons.  According to the Birdamlik Solidarity Movement, “the tyrant still oppresses the government, and the innocent people who waste away inside prison walls become mere pawns on a chessboard. What will become of their fate, when they are released, and whether they will ever see the light of day remains unknown.”  The letter requests that Western societies acknowledge that Karimov is only doing the bare minimum to maintain good international relations and asks that they demand more.

The letter was copied to United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well the Uzbek Prosecutor’s office and the Uzbek Ombudsman’s office.

For more information, please see:

Inter Press Service – RIGHTS-UZBEKISTAN: ‘EU Must Take Away the Cover’ – 5 March 2008

BRIEF: Missing EU Soldier possibly found along Sudan/Chad border

DAKAR – A member of the European Unions peace-keeping force may have been found dead near the Chadnian border only days after the long-awaited force was deployed in Chad. The French soldier, one of thirty-seven hundred troops from fourteen nations, had been missing for two days. The soldier went missing when his vehicle strayed into Sudan, while he was on patrol in the town of Tissi in the far south east corner of Chad, along the border between the two countries. A second soldier was wounded in the incident, but escaped back to Chad. Sudan previously had expressed displeasure at Europe sending its troops to patrol near its border.

The European Union Force in Chad (EUFOR) was deployed in response to the influx of refugees from Sudan after the latest attacks in West Darfur began February 8th. Its mandate is to protect refugees from Darfur and the Central African Republic, and internally displaced people.  EUFOR is also providing security for humanitarian aid workers and UN personnel assisting the displaced. 

EUFOR was supposed to be deployed early in February, however they were delayed significantly by rebel attacks on Chad’s capital N’djamena.

For more information, please see:

allAfrica.com – EU Soldier Missing – 4 March 2008

BBC News – Sudan ‘finds’ EU soldier’s body – 5 March 2008

Arrests In Zimbabwe Allegedly Politically Motivated

By M. Brandon Maggiore
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Africa

HARARE, Zimbabwe – The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) lead by faction leader Morgan Tsvangirai reports that police are arresting their candidates and supporters of their candidates based on allegedly false charges.

It is reported by MDC that their candidates and supporters who are peacefully assembled are being arrested in an effort to curb MDC’s campaign. MDC is mobilizing their campaign with the nations presidential election scheduled for 29 March 2008.

Party official and parliamentary candidate Tabitha Khumalo was arrested on Monday while she campaigned door to door in Bulawayo. She was released about midnight but details of her detention and release are not available at this time.

On Sunday an MDC candidate and twelve supporters were arrested while distributing posters. They will remain custody until 17 March 2008 on police allegations that they were in possession of illegal weapons and charges of inciting public violence.  MDC spokesperson Nelson Chamisa said that those arrested on Sunday had no weapons and that there was no violence at any time.

President Mugabe of the Zanu-MF Party has been in power since 1980.  President Mugabe alleges the MDC is a tool or Western powers.

Tsvangirai hopes to unseat president Mugabe on 29 March. However, Chamisa said that there is no way the upcoming election will be fair.

allAfrica.com – Zimbabwe: Police Arresting MDC Election Candidates And Supporters – 4 March 2008

AfricaNews – Tsvangirai targets Harare suburbans – 4 March 2008

BBC News – Country profile: Zimbabwe – accessed 4 March 2008