May 17, 2005
[Dildora] Uz - An appeal from Osh!
This has just reached me. Please distribute as widely as possible. Ben
Dear Ben,
My name is Dildora Khamidova. I am an ethnic uzbek living in Kyrgyzstan and currently a master student in OSCE Academy in Bishkek.I can't just be a passive observer when a thousands of innocent women, children,peaceful population of my historical homeland is being killed. Just recently the horrible protests took place in my country-Kyrgyzstan, thanks Allah the force was not used against peaceful population compared to the current developmens in Uzbekistan(Andizhan), which seem to be accelerating. Therefore, on the behalf of the Community of Uzbeks of Kyrgyzstan I express our deep concerns regarding the bloody events that continue to take place in Uzbekistan. I kindly ask you to distribute this information as widely as possible among OSCE online world news agencies. We want peace in Central Asian region!!! Let our voices be heard by international community.
Many thanks,
Dildora K.
Master student of OSCE Academy.
Appeal
Of the Community of Uzbeks of Kyrgyzstan
May 16, 2005
We are deeply touched by the bloody events in Andijan and hereby express our deepest condolences to relatives and next of kin of those who have perished and suffered during these events in the Uzbek south.
We deem certain that the events on 13 May that left so many innocent civilians killed, were provoked exclusively by the authoritarian policy of Uzbek President Islam Karimov and those around him. Islam Karimov has been employing the policy of complete human rights violation, oppressing freedom, repressions, demolition of free mass media, restricting trade and businesses and exiling dissidents.
The power-wielding bodies of Uzbekistan have used firearms against peaceful and unarmed people who were merely speaking out against the oppressive policy of Karimov. He had had all the chances, opportunities and possibilities to regulate the latest events in a peaceful way. However, in spite of this fact, he has preferred to employ violence and bloodshed.
The community of Uzbeks of Kyrgyzstan urges the international community and human rights organizations in Uzbekistan to force the Uzbek authorities to face the fact of shooting to death peaceful and unarmed civilians as a result of acts and orders from state authorities and not as a result of provocation from terrorist or radical Islamic groups that are being accused of organizing and fulfilling the seizure of the prison and all other events thence unfolding in Andijan.
Islam Karimov's office has lost any type of legitimacy and moral right to rule over and represent the Uzbek nation. We find Islam Karimov personally guilty and responsible for bloodshed in Andijan on 13 and 14 May, 2005. We also find him guilty in sufferings of the overall Uzbek nation that it had undergone for 15 years of his dictatorship regime's ruling. We think that Karimov is a criminal after what has occurred both throughout his reigning period and the recent events in Andijan, and that he will stand before just court sooner or later. We also think there is no any imaginable excuse for officials, officers and soldiers who opened fire at children, seniors and women. They had the choice to disobey orders in this case!
Along with other democratic forces both in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and beyond, we are urging the international community to immediately condemn Islam Karimov and his surrounding for using arms and violence against peaceful rally participants and innocent civilians, up to seizing diplomatic ties with official Tashkent.
We are urging all democracy-oriented groups within Uzbekistan to unite and adhere to non-violent means of fighting for democracy and freedom. The example of our country - Kyrgyzstan - suggests that democracy and freedom must be achieved via exclusively peaceful ways and methods with no violence or repression or whatsoever of this type being employed for doing so.
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The community of Uzbeks of Kyrgyzstan was established in autumn of 2004 by young Uzbek-speaking Kyrgyz nationals who now live, work and study in different parts of the world. In spite of the fact that the bigger part of our community is away from our motherland at the moment, we attentively follow all processes there and do not remain as idle observers. We are deeply affected by everything that has to do with Kyrgyzstan.
Our aim is involving the youth in Kyrgyzstan, especially its Uzbek-speaking component, into the life of our country via exchanging information on events both at home and abroad; stimulating and encouraging open discussion of problems in our country and the role of ethnic minorities in Kyrgyzstan in resolving those.
Our activities are also aimed at increasing the knowledge of visitors/tourists in history, culture, traditions, the linguistic heritage, values and hopes of Uzbek-speaking Kyrgyz citizens.
The community of Uzbeks of Kyrgyzstan does not have narrow nationalistic or religious aims; it neither supports political parties and/or public unions nor vice versa; it is not financed by concealed and/or illegal sources.
Contacts for Uzbeks of KG:
uzbeks_of_kg@yahoo.com
http://forum.uzbek.kg
