U.S. senators concerned on Uzbekistan party leader

The New York Times November 2 Echoing international concern about the arrest and suspected abuse of an opposition leader in Uzbekistan, two American senators introduced a resolution on Tuesday calling on the Uzbek government to ensure that the detained politician is treated fairly and in accordance with his human rights. The resolution, introduced by Senator Bill Frist, the majority leader, and Senator Richard G. Lugar, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, was the first strong public sign of American concern about the treatment of the Uzbek opposition leader, Sanjar Umarov, who was arrested in Tashkent, the Uzbek capital, on Oct 22. Mr. Umarov, 49, a wealthy businessman who is accused of embezzlement and tax evasion, has been seen by his lawyer only once since his arrest, and was naked and uncommunicative in his cell, the lawyer said. Mr. Umarov's family has said it fears he has been tortured and drugged. As chairman of the Sunshine Uzbekistan coalition, Mr. Umarov had been campaigning for social and economic changes in the repressive Central Asian state. His activities presented a rare public challenge to President Islam A. Karimov, who has been accused of ordering a bloody crackdown after a prison break and an antigovernment demonstration in May in Andijon. Survivors say hundreds of people, most of them unarmed, were killed. The crackdown, and Uzbekistan's refusal to investigate it credibly, was met with international condemnation and sanctions by the European Union. Uzbek relations with the United States have soured, and the government of Mr. Karimov has ordered the Pentagon to vacate a military airfield it has used since 2001, effective in 2006. The fate of Mr. Umarov was first hinted at in a Soviet-style denunciation published in a newspaper on Aug. 4. An article called him "a sly werewolf" and portrayed him as a cunning and greedy businessman. "He worked with one goal in mind: personal enrichment, even if it meant violating the law," the article read. "As much as he tries, there's only going to be one ending. Falling from such height will be painful." Mr. Umarov sued the paper for defamation. He was arrested before the case was fully heard.