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Since 1997 accusations of 'terrorism' have been used as a pretext for the suppression of independent Muslims who practice their faith outside of government controls, and particularly those critical of the Uzbek authorities. Following the events of the September 11, 2001, however, human rights monitors, such as Human Rights Watch, have noted that this suppression has intensified under the aegis of 'anti-terror' measures, with the government arguing the existence of links between certain Islamic groups in Uzbekistan and Al-Qaeda and thus retrospectively justifying its five-year campaign against independent Islam - failing to distinguish between those who advocate violence and those who peacefully express their religious beliefs (1). Uzbekistan's membership of the Shanghai Co-operation Organization, born as a border agreement among the former Soviet republics and China and having as one of its key aims the destruction of ethnic and religious militancy, has endowed such 'anti-terrorist' measures with an even greater regional legitimacy (2). As a result, many Muslims have faced imprisonment and intimidation for participating in private prayer groups, following Imams out of favour with the state, and distributing unauthorised materials connected to their beliefs. Religious prisoners are forced to write statements renouncing their faith, asking President Karimov for forgiveness and to sing the national anthem. Those who refuse are punished with beatings, rape, solitary confinement and denial of food and water. The following writers have been targeted by the Uzbek authorities under this religious crackdown: Hairulla ERNAZAROV, a journalist, was arrested on April 28, 2003 by national security service agents at his home in Tashkent. He is said to have been accused of membership of Hizb-Ut-Tahrir and disseminating audio cassettes of sermons by the Islamic preacher Abduvalli-kori, thus promoting Wahhabism. He was convicted on July 28, 2003 on the strength of the testimonies of fellow prisoners who later claimed to have been tortured, and sentenced to seven years' imprisonment. Gayrat MEHLIBOEV , a journalism graduate, was arrested during an illegal demonstration on July 24, 2002 at Chorsu Market in Tashkent and accused of inciting religious enmity, undermining the constitutional order and membership of Hizb-Ut-Tahrir after an article on the group's ideology and its literature was found in his room. Mehliboev claims that he was studying the organization's ideology for an article he wrote in April 2001 entitled 'The Scales of Justice.' He was tried at the Shaikhataursky District Court in Tashkent on February 20, 2003 and sentenced to seven years in prison. He claims to have been tortured in detention.International PEN is concerned that Gayrat Mehliboev and Hairulla Ernazarov may be detained solely because of their religious affiliation. It is seeking further details of the charges against them, as well as assurances that they are not detained in violation of their rights to freedom of expression and association. __________________________________________________________________Footnotes: 1 Anti-government activity in Uzbekistan is currently embodied by two groups - the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and the Hizb-Ut-Tahrir. While the IMU has conducted armed incursions into Uzbek territory on numerous occasions, the Hizb-Ut-Tahrir (Party of Liberation) is an organisation that advocates the creation of an Islamic state by peaceful means and is known only for the dissemination of anti-government literature. Nevertheless, Islam Karimov has continued claim the existence of supposed 'links' between Hizb-Ut-Tahrir and 'terrorist' organisations and in April 2002, announced that Uzbekistan would continue to fight against the party in spite of their non-violent approach. 2 Eurasianet.com "Shanghai Cooperation Organization Prepares for New role" Sergei Blagov 04/29/02 Please contact ftw@pen.org if you have any questions. |