Uzbeks Angered by US Criticism on Religious Rights
Uzbeks Angered by US Criticism on Religious Rights
Tashkent’s furious reaction to the US State Department’s decision to add Uzbekistan to its list of “Countries of Particular Concern for Severe Violations of Religious Freedoms” is a sign that the relationship between the two countries continues to deteriorate. The Uzbek state now exerts total control over religious life, NBCentralAsia analysts say.
On November 24, the Uzbek foreign ministry accused the State Department of applying double standards by including the country in its list of the worst offenders on religious rights. The ministry said the US decision, announced on November 13, represented interference in its internal affairs and an act of provocation.
The ministry also expressed indignation at foreign media outlets that it said confuse the freedom of speech due to religious organisations with that of terrorist groups acting in the name of religion.
NBCentralAsia commentators note that despite repeated US criticism of the extent of civil liberties, it is the first time Uzbekistan has been designated a Country of Particular Concern.
The confrontation between Tashkent and Washington dates to the violent suppression of a demonstration in Andijan in May 2005, which according to some estimates resulted in the death of several hundred people. It was a critical moment in US-Uzbek relations and led to the closure of the American military airbase at Khanabad.
The US administration leveled strong criticism at the Uzbek authorities for using firearms against demonstrators calling for a fair trial for 23 local businessmen. Journalists present at the thousands-strong rally reported that a small minority were armed, but the vast majority were peaceful civilian protesters. Uzbek authorities insisted that most of the protesters were members of religious extremist and terrorist groups.
NBCentralAsia analysts say the authoritarian regime in Uzbekistan keeps up sustained pressure on religious groups and their leaders, and the distinction between radical and moderate Islam is drawn arbitrarily. Although the state is separate from religion under the constitution, the secret services monitor the contents of sermons in virtually all mosques.
Non-Muslims such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses also suffer persecution in Uzbekistan.
“Religion is just one of many areas of private life in which the Uzbek authorities interfere,” commented an NBCentralAsia analyst.
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
On November 24, the Uzbek foreign ministry accused the State Department of applying double standards by including the country in its list of the worst offenders on religious rights. The ministry said the US decision, announced on November 13, represented interference in its internal affairs and an act of provocation.
The ministry also expressed indignation at foreign media outlets that it said confuse the freedom of speech due to religious organisations with that of terrorist groups acting in the name of religion.
NBCentralAsia commentators note that despite repeated US criticism of the extent of civil liberties, it is the first time Uzbekistan has been designated a Country of Particular Concern.
The confrontation between Tashkent and Washington dates to the violent suppression of a demonstration in Andijan in May 2005, which according to some estimates resulted in the death of several hundred people. It was a critical moment in US-Uzbek relations and led to the closure of the American military airbase at Khanabad.
The US administration leveled strong criticism at the Uzbek authorities for using firearms against demonstrators calling for a fair trial for 23 local businessmen. Journalists present at the thousands-strong rally reported that a small minority were armed, but the vast majority were peaceful civilian protesters. Uzbek authorities insisted that most of the protesters were members of religious extremist and terrorist groups.
NBCentralAsia analysts say the authoritarian regime in Uzbekistan keeps up sustained pressure on religious groups and their leaders, and the distinction between radical and moderate Islam is drawn arbitrarily. Although the state is separate from religion under the constitution, the secret services monitor the contents of sermons in virtually all mosques.
Non-Muslims such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses also suffer persecution in Uzbekistan.
“Religion is just one of many areas of private life in which the Uzbek authorities interfere,” commented an NBCentralAsia analyst.
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
