Uzbekistan

Recent days have seen fresh violence in Uzbekistan that has left as many as 700 dead. Here is a fresh report from my Uzbekistan correspondent, a friend of mine who is serving there in the Peace Corps. He has asked to remain anonymous:

The American media seemed to really blow [the unrest] up according to a few ex-PCVs [Peace Corps volunteers] in the States that we heard from, but right now according to the U.S. Embassy it seems to be centralized only in that city in the Ferghana Valley, Andijon. And currently I think things have been locked down. I'm in Urgench today, and things couldn't be more peaceful. Yes, there is definitely a higher presence of police, but nothing serious. People seem to be talking about it though, which is a big step from the normal attitude of complacency.

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At first, the protesters seemed to just want justice and a dialogue regarding the 23 prisoners who are accused of being extremists. Something snapped though and turned into chaos. There was the incident of a suicide bomber at the Israeli Embassy, but supposedly his bomb was fake, and Tashkent is peaceful.

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My personal opinion though, is this will be the calm before the storm. People were dispersed and killed, and now it's a matter of seeing what the protesters will do when they come out of their houses. The Ferghana region is the flashpoint. Unfortunately, we're too far out west to see it personally. However, I'll keep you posted. People are simmering.

Background:

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A profile of the Uzbek leader, Islam Karimov, can be found here courtesy of Human Rights Watch.

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The U.S. maintains a military presence in the country at an old Soviet airbase that proved extremely important during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. I have no idea how important the base is now, but it is notable that the Bush Administration has softpedaled its pro-freedom/democracy rhetoric when it comes to the country. Some people see that as smacking of hypocrisy.

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A good round-up of the latest happenings here.

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Update: New updates from my correspondent here and here.

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Update II: Another update here.