Uzbek revolts

At least nine people have been killed in Uzbekistan after demonstrators clashed with security forces and freed prison inmates in protest at the trial of 23 local Muslim businessmen.

The Uzbek president, Islam Karimov, blocked foreign news broadcasts as the country appeared to plunge into chaos. Armed crowds had surrounded police officers in parts of the eastern city of Andijan and talks were under way to free them, Mr Karimov's office said.

  Guardian article

For the last four months, Andijan in eastern Uzbekistan has been the scene of a peaceful protest on behalf of 23 people accused of fundamentalism. Last night, thousands poured onto the streets and the armed protestors raided a prison and set free the detainees.

  Zaman article

Let's see whether Buttie thinks these guys deserve commendation for their struggle to be free from tyranny. Don't hold your breath.

After British ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray told 60 Minutes "of the range of advanced techniques used by Uzbek interrogators:

"drowning and suffocation, rape was used . . . and also immersion of limbs in boiling liquid" and "[t]wo nights later on ABC's World News Tonight, Craig Murray told of photos he received of an Uzbek interrogation that ended with the prisoner actually being boiled to death!"

he was fired.

  E-The People post

The U.S. State Department web site states “Uzbekistan is not a democracy and does not have a free press. Many opponents of the government have fled, and others have been arrested.” and “The police force and the intelligence service use torture as a routine investigation technique.”

[...]

President Karimov government was awarded $500m in aid from the Bush administration in 2002. The SNB (Uzbekistan’s security service) received $79m of this sum.

  Khilafah article

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.