Washington Retains Strong Ties With Uzbekistan Despite Notorious Human Righ

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/05/20/1425243

Uzbek President Islam Karimov has rejected calls for an international inquiry into a bloody crackdown on protesters in the town of Andijan last week that left up to 750 dead. Washington has close links with Uzbekistan despite the country's notorious human rights record. We speak with a researcher with Human Rights Watch, the editorial director of Antiwar.com and we go to Andijan to get a report from the ground.

Uzbek President Islam Karimov has rejected calls for an international inquiry into a bloody crackdown on protesters in the town of Andijan last week. Human rights groups say as many as 750 people were killed, while the government claims just over 150 died. snip

On Thursday, the head of US Central Command - General John Abizaid - said that operations were being scaled back at the base as a "prudent move." But he said this was not intended to be a political message of disapproval to President Karimov.

Torture and police brutality are widespread in Uzbekistan. The country has no independent political parties, no free and fair elections, and no independent news media.

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[grumpy old fart]

1. You're either with us or against us....and the Uzbek President is with *..

great place for rendering terra suspects. Some things never change...

[NVMojo]

2. The USA, leader of hypocrisy!!!

[tom_paine]

5. Don't you mean Imperial Amerika, NVMojo?

I only say that because it tarnishes the name of Free America... the Old United States of America, to confuse it with what exists now.

The Old United States of America is now a part of history, like the Roman and Weimar Republics. It wasn't perfect, not by a long site, and like all nations it did some terrible things. For all of that, I will always believe that the United States of America, right up until it ended in 2000, was the Greatest Nation in Human History.

But the USA is NOT Bush-Occupied Imperial Amerika, a nation of great cowardice, torture, injustice, and murderousness. A nation dedicated to furthering the Power of the Elite, to Orwellian Lies, and NOTHING else. A nation very much reminiscent of Imperial Rome, the Old Soviet Union, and with more than a few unsavory characteristics belonging to Nazi Germany before us.

Just my 2 cents. Take it or leave it. But I always cringe when people call THIS nation we now live in "USA".

Because it most certainly is NOT the Old USA. Would that it were...

[Dhalgren]

9. True words, Tom, true words....

[tom_paine]

3. Of course it does. The Imperials care NOTHING for liberal "human rights"

and they care NOTHINg for the weakness they perceive is "Liberal Democracy".

Which is why they are taking it ALL away but a hollowed-out shell.

Within two deacdes, if not MUCH sooner, it will be over with utter finality.

[lumpy]

7. Look up 'Uzbekistan oil'.

Ubekistan oil agreements with Unocal.

[AndyTiedye]

4. Sounds Like The USA, Post "Nuclear-Option"

The country has no independent political parties, no free and fair elections, and no independent news media.

[lumpy]

6. Oil, Baby, oil...

It's all about oil.

[Dhalgren]

8. But at least Karimov isn't doing stem-cell research!

Because Bush "condemns" that...

[leftchick]

10. why the HELL isn't this in the NYT, WaPo or LATs???

:grr: