After Andijan: An Uzbek newspaper's betrayal

EurasiaNet August 19 Uzbekistan is maintaining a media barrage of criticism against the United States. The intensity of the press attacks raises questions about Washington's ability to retain diplomatic leverage in Tashkent following the Uzbek decision to evict American troops from an air base. Following the Uzbek decision in July to terminate the American leasing arrangement of the Karshi-Khanabad air base, US officials have expressed a desire to maintain bilateral cooperation in a number of strategic spheres, including measures to contain Islamic radicalism in Central Asia and to thwart the trafficking of narcotics from Afghanistan. Uzbekistan has taken a sudden geopolitical turn toward Russia and China since the Andijan events on May 13, when which Uzbek security forces shot hundreds of civilian protesters without warning. At the same time, government-controlled print and broadcast outlets have been vitriolic in their criticism of the United States. The fact that the anti-American media campaign has continued since the air-base eviction announcement indicates that Tashkent may be disinclined to cooperate with Washington at this time. In recent weeks, Uzbek newspaper commentaries have gone so far as to claim the United States has worked with Islamic radicals to "colonize" Uzbekistan. An August 13 editorial published in the Toshketn Haqiqati newspaper insisted that the United States was casting an "evil eye" on Uzbekistan out of a desire to control the Central Asian nation's natural resources. "Their real plans are becoming inextricably interwoven with the evil intentions of religious fanatics who have to some extent put down roots in the region to carry out terrorist acts," the commentary claimed. Many commentaries are now focusing on US support for Uzbek refugees who fled to Kyrgyzstan following the Andijan events. Uzbekistan had insisted that the refugees be returned, but international agencies, with US-backing, helped almost 440 Uzbeks find temporary asylum in Romania. According to some local experts, up to 1,000 Uzbek refugees remain in Kyrgyzstan. Uzbek authorities claim the refugees were involved in a failed attempt to stoke an Islamic uprising. "Those who make the Iraqi people drown in blood are now trying to protect these culprits [Uzbek refugees in Kyrgyzstan," the Toshkent Haqiqati commentary said. An August 2 editorial published by Ozbekistan Ovozi accused the United States of trying to foment conflict between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. "The USA is determined to set the neighbors -- brotherly nations --against each other," the editorial said. The Uzbek press has been unrelenting in insisting that Islamic radicals were solely responsible for the Andijan events. Immediately following the Andijan protests, one of Uzbekistan's leading Uzbek-language newspapers, Ozbekiston Adabiyoti va San'ati, or Uzbekistan Literature and Art, began publishing a series of editorials denouncing the Andijan protesters as "extremists" and "fanatics." The newspaper first featured an editorial by the prominent poet Abdulla Oripov, who, as president of Uzbekistan's Writer's Union, and who has emerged as one of President Islam Karimov's most loyal public supporters. In addition, the newspaper published impassioned editorials from a variety of ordinary Uzbek citizens, who condemned both the protesters and the international media for criticism of Uzbekistan's military and security services. The coverage of the Andijan events in Ozbekiston Adabiyoti va San'ati marks a radical departure from the periodical's reporting of controversial events during the early years of President Islam Karimov's tenure, helping to underscore the extent to which the government now controls mass media in Uzbekistan. Before the republic gained independence in 1991, Ozbekiston Adabiyoti va San'ati served as one of Uzbekistan's more critical and insightful newspapers, publishing ground-breaking articles advocating recognition of Uzbek as the official language, an immediate end to cotton-monoculture, protection for the Aral Sea and the restoration of Central Asia's cultural and religious heritage. The newspaper also occasionally published articles relating to the main opposition party, Erk (Freedom). The party's leader, Muhammad Solih, has lived in exile since 1993. During the early years of independence, Ozbekiston Adabiyoti va San'ati would sometimes stake out a position as a government watchdog. In early 1992, for example, Uzbek security forces ruthlessly quelled a student riot at Tashkent State University, leaving several students dead or seriously wounded. In sharp contrast its Andijan coverage, Ozbekiston Adabiyoti va San'ati deplored the unnecessary loss of life during the student protest and demanded a thorough investigation. In a front-page letter signed by several prominent writers and academics, Karimov, who himself admitted that his soldiers had not been authorized to fire on the students, was urged to establish a special commission which would investigate the underlying causes of this unrest. The letter -- published in the January 24, 1992, issue -- warned that continued state violence and brutality would "completely undermine the pursuit of democracy, human rights and the rule of law." "We intellectuals," the letter concluded, "are firmly committed to truth and justice within our independent republic." In this same issue, the newspaper published descriptions of the riot based on interviews with various students, faculty and hospital officials and included four photographs attesting to the significant number of soldiers assembled in the university area. A full month after the Andijan events Ozbekiston Adabiyoti va San'ati had not provided a full and impartial description of what went on. Instead, the newspaper has offered a steady stream of attacks on alleged Islamic radicals who organized and participated in the Andijan events. Ozbekiston Adabiyoti va San'ati's editorial voice has not differed substantially from all other Uzbek media outlets. Commentaries during this period have seemingly aimed to achieve two goals: reinforce the notion that it was every citizen's duty to support the administration in its struggle to defeat "extremists" and "terrorists; and to convince Uzbeks that the government, since independence, has sought to address the spiritual needs of the population. A June 3 commentary, for example, denigrated the radicals for wanting to establish a "medieval caliphate," adding that "the people will never accept a caliphate." Meanwhile, a May 27 editorial reasoned that the use of decisive force by Uzbek security forces on May 13 prevented even broader violence. "Had the government not acted resolutely ... the fatalities would have been 10 or 100 times higher," the commentary said. "And there is no doubt that this mob, which could have marched on Ferghana and, later, Toshkent, would never have been halted." In his editorial, the poet Oripov praised Karimov for "protecting the honor" of "our homeland, our people, and our nation." Many commentators now are urging Uzbeks to embrace patriotic values. An editorial published four weeks after the Andijan declared that the "main responsibility" of artists and intellectuals is to respond to the "terrorists and those who malign and engage in political games." Editorials published by Ozbekiston Adabiyoti va San'ati, like those published in other Uzbek periodicals, have expressed indignation over foreign coverage of the Andijan events, especially accounts distributed by Western media outlets. One commentator, for example, accused the British Broadcasting Corp.'s Uzbek service of deliberately exaggerating the violence. The editorial quoted a local resident who, after listening to these BBC radio broadcasts, "went to the city and found all of the stores and shops operating normally." It went on to quote the resident as saying; "It's a shame that these [foreign] journalists go around telling blatant lies."