Fw: Reporting Central Asia No. 132

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From: "Institute for War & Peace Reporting" <[email protected]>
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Sent: Monday, July 29, 2002 5:11 AM
Subject: Reporting Central Asia No. 132


> WELCOME TO IWPR'S REPORTING CENTRAL ASIA, No. 132, July 26, 2002
>
> KYRGYZSTAN: ANTI-GOVERNMENT ANGER GROWS  Opposition warns of "extreme
> measures" if those responsible for Aksy protesters' deaths are not
> punished.
> Sultan Jumagulov reports from Bospiek and Kerben
>
> UZBEKISTAN: MISSIONARIES LURE YOUNGSTERS  The authorities' crackdown on
> Islamic radicalism appears to have prompted many young Uzbeks to join the
> growing number of Christian groups in the country. Ulugbek Khaidarov
> reports from Jizak
>
> KAZAKSTAN: AUSTRIAN EXILE FOR PRESIDENT'S SON-IN-LAW  Rakhat Aliev is sent
> abroad on ambassadorial duties following clashes with an increasingly
> united opposition. Altai Jasulanov reports from Almaty
>
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> KYRGYZSTAN: ANTI-GOVERNMENT ANGER GROWS
>
> Opposition warns of "extreme measures" if those responsible for Aksy
> protesters' deaths are not punished.
>
> By Sultan Jumagulov in Bospiek and Kerben
>
> The unveiling of a monument to protesters who died at the hands of police
> in southern Kyrgyzstan has sparked another surge of anti-government anger
> and further calls for the dismissal of President Askar Akaev.
>
> The fresh trouble broke out on July 17 in the Aksy village of Bospiek,
> where police shot dead six civilians during a March protest against the
> jailing of popular local deputy Azimbek Beknazarov, who had criticised
> Akaev over territorial concessions to neighbouring China.
>
> More than ten thousand people came to see the monument unveiled at the
> site of the shootings - an unusually high number for Kyrgyzstan, whose
> democratic reputation has waned over the last few years.
>
> Film director and parliamentary deputy Dooronbek Sadyrbaev set the tone
> for the ceremony with a long and emotional speech in which he accused the
> president and his followers of having blood on their hands. "After
> shooting their own citizens, Akaev and his government have neither the
> political nor the moral right to remain in power," he declared, to wild
> applause.
>
> The granite monument is inscribed with the words, "Fallen at the hands of
> the authorities". Speakers at the meeting claimed that the words were
> somehow erased during the transport of the memorial, but were restored by
> local sculptors.
>
> The gathering was also attended by government ministers who tried in vain
> to calm the crowd. When Deputy Prime Minister Kurmanbek Osmonov urged
> protesters not to give way to raw emotion, he was barracked until he
> backed down and left the scene. Abdygany Erkebaev, the speaker of the
> parliament's legislative chamber, departed immediately after the
> unveiling.
>
> Leaders of almost all opposition parties came to the nearby town of Kerben
> for an opposition congress the following day.
>
> Here, even more vehement demands were raised for the resignation of Akaev
> and harsh punishment for those responsible for the Aksy killings. A mass
> protest march in Bishkek was organised for the beginning of autumn.
>
> Anger was also directed at parliament for passing a law to amnesty those
> accused of the protesters' deaths. Anaraly Nazarbekov, speaking on behalf
> of Aksy residents who suffered in the shootings, issued a thinly veiled
> threat to take direct action against the pardoned police officers.
>
> Warning that people would now "use their own discretion" in dealing with
> the police, he said, "We regard the amnesty law as an insult to the people
> who suffered. This is just another example of the government's injustice
> towards the Aksy victims. Naturally, this attitude pushes us to take
> extreme measures."
>
> Following the congress, opposition forces passed a resolution demanding
> the resignation of Akaev and a snap presidential election. The resolution
> also called for repeal of the amnesty law, a halt to persecution of
> dissidents and the release of jailed opposition leader Felix Kulov.
>
> Topchubek Turgunaliev, a representative of the Erkindik party and a sworn
> enemy of President Akaev, stressed several times that the Aksy tragedy has
> hastened the end of the present regime. "The unveiling of the monument and
> the national congress showed that Akaev faces opposition from the entire
> population," Turgunaliev told IWPR.
>
> "Kyrgyz are by nature a peace-loving and just. But they do not stand for
> injustice. The government has acted very unfairly towards its people and
> now it will pay dearly."
>
> Some of those who attended the Bospiek meeting were unhappy that the
> memorial ceremony had been turned into a political event. Sania Sagnaeva,
> an analyst at the International Centre for Avoiding Crises in Central
> Asia, described the extreme demands made there as inappropriate. "People
> came to mourn their fellow citizens and pay tribute to their memory. It
> was amoral to exploit this moment to incite anti-government emotions," she
> said.
>
> The rallies follow a recent forum of civil society leaders in Bishkek
> aimed at allowing dialogue between government and opposition forces. It
> urged both sides to refrain from any action that might cause further
> upheaval.
>
> The Kyrgyz government planned to hold its own round table conference with
> the country's political forces on July 26. Additionally, the authorities
> decided to mark the anniversary of 19th century national hero Tailak-batyr
> on July 27 along the shore of the Son-Kul mountain lake. Organisers of the
> celebration hope it will promote reconciliation, but few believe there is
> much chance of that.
>
> Sultan Jumagulov is a BBC stringer in Bishkek
>
>
> UZBEKISTAN: MISSIONARIES LURE YOUNGSTERS
>
> The authorities' crackdown on Islamic radicalism appears to have prompted
> many young Uzbeks to join the growing number of Christian groups in the
> country.
>
> By Ulugbek Khaidarov in Jizak
>
> Government intolerance of Islamic fundamentalism is driving scores of
> Uzbek youth into the arms of new Christian groups practising in the Jizak
> region - some of which offer financial incentives to their followers.
>
> "President Islam Karimov's regime discriminates against Islam and Muslims
> under the guise of fighting religious militancy and international
> terrorism," said convert Rano Pirmatova, a student at Jizak Pedagogical
> Institute. "But a human being needs to believe in something.
>
> "Islam is strongly discouraged, so we chose Christianity. However, if the
> Uzbek constitution means what it says, surely we are free to worship any
> way we choose."
>
> Mainstream religious practise, tightly controlled by the state, does not
> always appeal to the younger generation, some of whom are increasingly
> drawn to the more fundamentalist branches of Islam.
>
> In this devout Sunni Muslim country, non-traditional Islamic groups are
> viewed with suspicion by the authorities. Some of the more radical groups
> such as Hizb-ut Tahrir and the Wahabbi movement have been banned, and a
> large number of suspected members have been imprisoned.
>
> Following the September 11 attacks in America, radical Muslim groups have
> become associated with terrorism, which in turn has also discouraged young
> people from joining their ranks.
>
> This has left an ideological vacuum that many new Christian groups are
> seeking to fill.
> Other young converts, however, point to very different motives. Another
> student at the institute, who declined to give her name, told IWPR that
> many were lured by financial gain.
>
> "Missionaries paid me 50 US dollars when I converted, and promised more
> later. To earn
> more, my task is to preach Christianity to other young Uzbek Muslims," she
> said.
>
> Educated young people are the main target of the evangelising groups, with
> significant numbers of students at educational institutes in Tashkent
> reportedly abandoning Islam in favour of the Christian faith. But there
> are also suggestions that older Uzbeks, usually the parents of new
> members, sometimes join too.
>
> This was the experience of one 65-year-old Jizak woman who did not want to
> be named. "I followed my daughter's suit and converted to Christianity. I
> feel relieved now, having left Islam behind. Islam never worked for me,"
> she told IWPR.
>
> Uzbekistan, with a population of around 25 million people, has long been
> acknowledged as the most religious country in Central Asia, and has been
> the historic centre of Islamic education in the area.
>
> Islam was the dominant religion in the country until the 19th century when
> the conquering Russians settled in the area and began to practise their
> own faith.
>
> While Russian Orthodoxy is now established in Uzbekistan, the missionary
> groups have only had a presence in the country since the mid-Nineties. So
> far the Religions Committee of Uzbekistan has registered 60 Korean
> Protestant, five Catholic and four Evangelist churches. Most of the new
> Christian organisations are active in the Fergana valley, traditionally
> Uzbekistan's most Islamic area.
>
> There are now signs of growing unease at government level over the
> proliferation of non-traditional Christian groups.
>
> Aqmal Saidov, director of the National Centre for Human Rights, told IWPR
> that the authorities have placed constraints on visiting missionaries from
> Protestant groups such as Word of Faith and Mission of Mercy, both of
> which were denied official registration.
>
> Such moves, he wrote, were aimed at preventing "outbursts of religious
> intolerance among members of Uzbekistan's traditional denominations, Islam
> and Russian Orthodox Christianity".
> Local authorities in the Jizak region are also concerned about the growing
> influence of the missionaries, with assistant regional prosecutor Tuychi
> Khaitmatov saying the number of Uzbeks converting to Christianity was
> "alarming".
>
> "Our office has received numerous complaints with people urging us to take
> a stance on foreign religions and prevent young Muslims from defecting,"
> he said.
>
> Last month, three meetings were held in Jizak where local government
> officials asked parents to be vigilant and discourage their children from
> joining Christian groups. The city prosecutor has also issued "warnings"
> to more than 30 prospective converts, urging them to reconsider.
>
> Jizak assistant prosecutor Nikholboy Normatov believes people are tempted
> to convert because it is "easier" to follow Christian commandments than to
> be a good Muslim.
>
> Another pedagogical institute student told IWPR that regional National
> Security Service agents paid frequent visits to the campus.
>
> "They hold meetings, cautioning us against Christianity," he said.
> "However, we can remember them holding similar meetings cautioning us
> against Islam and showing footage of radical Muslim violence."
>
> Ulugbek Khaidarov is an independent journalist based in Uzbekistan
>
>
> KAZAKSTAN: AUSTRIAN EXILE FOR PRESIDENT'S SON-IN-LAW
>
> Rakhat Aliev is sent abroad on ambassadorial duties following clashes with
> an increasingly united opposition.
>
> By Altai Jasulanov in Almaty
>
> The Kazak president's controversial son-in-law Rakhat Aliev is to
> represent his country at a European body that has repeatedly condemned his
> family's regime.
>
> Aliev had been forced to step down as deputy chief of the Kazak national
> security committee - the successor to the KGB - amid claims he was
> monopolising the country's mass media and expanding his business empire.
>
> His new post as Kazak ambassador to Austria will include a role as envoy
> to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, OSCE, whose
> spokesman on media issues, Freimut Duve, has called Kazakstan's political
> system "loathsome", the state of its press "horrid", and described
> President Nursultan Nazarbaev as "an authoritarian dictator".
>
> Astana has been coming under increasing pressure from the OSCE over
> Nazarbaev's ruthless suppression of dissent as his opponents unite and
> become increasingly outspoken.
>
> This has included a series of OSCE statements expressing concern over the
> health of imprisoned opposition Democratic Choice of Kazakstan, DCK,
> leader Galymzhan Zhakianov and highlighting what it says are numerous
> legal violations during the trial of Mukhtar Abliazov, another
> high-profile DCK figure.
>
> It has also strongly criticised proposed legislation that sets tough
> conditions for the formation of new political parties, which has been
> described by a local OSCE spokesman as "a serious threat".
>
> Political commentator Viktor Kalmykov expressed amazement that the
> president should see his son-in-law as being in any way capable of
> improving the country's image in the West. "Aliev controls all major media
> in Kazakstan. Opposing voices can hardly be heard anymore," he said.
>
> "Opposition websites are under pressure from the authorities and may not
> last much longer, so most Kazaks are forced to get all their information
> from media controlled by the government or owned by Aliev."
>
> According to political analyst Marat Kereev, the president's son-in-law
> has been sent abroad after a series of clashes with some of the nation's
> most influential finance and industry groups last year, which led to the
> formation of a new powerful opposition movement that has managed to unite
> the government's rivals.
>
> The battle with the business elite began when deputy Tolen Tokhtasynov
> accused Aliev of being a "media monopolist". This was followed by series
> of opposition media articles that charged the ruling elite of entering
> into clandestine business deals.
>
> There were also revelations that Aliev and his wife Dariga Nazarbaeva
> owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, nearly all major national
> television channels, radio stations and newspapers in the country. They
> have long wielded substantial influence through their ownership of local
> news and advertising agencies.
>
> "Aliev was facing an array of up-and-coming businessmen and politicians,"
> Kereev told IWPR. "While the president's son-in-law won that battle by
> pulling certain power levers, the young business tycoons and politicians
> responded by forming the Democratic Choice of Kazakstan party."
>
> "Things started getting out of hand last November 15, when the president
> forced Aliev to resign and urged him to lay low until the media noise died
> down," said political commentator Viktor Kalmykov. "At the same time, the
> authorities unleashed an unprecedented campaign against the opposition -
> especially the DCK - and their print organs."
>
> However, despite Aliev taking a less public post as chief of presidential
> security, the media uproar surrounding him showed no sign of fading away.
>
> Nazarbaev's main rival, former premier Akezhan Kazhegeldin, has now
> received a freedom passport from the European parliament enabling him to
> spread his pro-reform message across the continent. There is also
> widespread local speculation that he plans to return home soon.
>
> Irrespective of how Aliev performs in his new job in Vienna, most analysts
> have no doubt that the president is biding his time, waiting for the
> trouble to blow over so that his son-in-law can rejoin the political
> scene.
>
> Oleg Sidorov, director of the Conflict Resolution Centre, believes that
> Aliev's Austrian exile will last no longer than two years. "It all depends
> on how the internal political situation develops," he said. "Aliev may yet
> reappear in a very high place in Kazakstan's government."
>
> Altai Jasulanov is the pseudonym of a journalist from Almaty
>
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> IWPR's Reporting Central Asia provides the regional and international
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> Copyright (c) 2002 The Institute for War & Peace Reporting
>
> REPORTING CENTRAL ASIA No. 132
>
>
>
>