Sunshine Coalition of Uzbekistan

Petition On the Andijan Tragedy

May 4th, 2007

To:

The General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC), Council of the European Union

Javier Solana, High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union

Members of the European Parliament

Vladimir Putin, President of Russian Federation

Nursultan Nazarbaev, President of Kazakhstan

CC:

Central Asian unit, European Commission

European Parliament delegation to Central Asia

Foreign Ministries of the EU member states

Parliaments of the EU member-states

OSCE

Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, OSCE

US Department of State

US Senate and House of Representatives

Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, US Congress

UN Human Rights Council

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

May, 2007

One the eve of the second anniversary of the tragic events in the city of Andijan, we the undersigned, express our solidarity with the victims of Andijan and the victims of the Government of Uzbekistan’s continuing, brutal repression of those who dare to dissent, defend human rights and build a civil society independent of Government domination. In support of these victims, we call on the OSCE and European Union to include representatives from Uzbekistan’s independent human rights and opposition movements in the proposed EUUzbekistan Inter-Parliamentary Dialogue on Human Rights and to ensure that:

1. The GOU’s cynical strategy of equating any and all expressions of peaceful dissent to radical Islamic terrorism is not successful in isolating Uzbekistan’s independent civil society from international support and recognition.

2. The GOU initiates an authentic dialogue with Uzbekistan’s civil society to map out a consensual strategy for a thorough reform of its catastrophic political, economic and social polices.

3. Those GOU officials responsible for turning Uzbekistan’s police and prosecutorial organs into a corrupt and fully operational terror machine are held accountable for their subversion of justice under international and Republic of Uzbekistan laws.

4. The GOU is clearly and directly notified that any improvement in its relationships with the world’s democratic nations is directly dependent on immediate and substantial steps to improve its human rights record including freedom for political prisoners:

Umida NIYAZOVA, Sanjar UMAROV, Mutabar TADJIBAEVA, Alisher KAROMATOV, Azam FARMONOV, Mamadali MAKHMUDOV, Saidjahon ZAYNOBIDDINOV, Akhmedjon ADILOV, Gulbakhor TURAEVA, Norboy XOLJIGITOV, Abdurasul XUDOYNAZAROV, Mamarajab NAZAROV, Dilmurod MUHIDDINOV, Bobomurod MAVLONOV, Ulugbek KATTABEKOV, Ihtiyor HAMROEV, Mukhammed BEGJANOV, Rashid BEGJANOV, Isroiljon HOLDAROV, Mourod JOURAYEV, Ruhiddin FAHRUDDINOV, Habibulla AKPULATOV

We also call upon the governments of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan to support the OSCE and the EU in their efforts to change the GOU’s counterproductive policies of wholesale political repression. The tragic events of May 13, 2005
could have been avoided if Uzbekistan’s rulers listened to the voices of their own people. The people of Uzbekistan look to you, our brotherly neighbors, to assist us in saving our nation from the disaster that continued heartless repression will visit upon us.

Signatures:

1. Nigara Khidoyatova, leader of the Free Peasants Party, Uzbekistan
2. Bakhodir Namazov, Chairman of the Committee for Freedom of Political Prisoners, Uzbekistan
3. Gulambek Sanjar Umarov, Sunshine Uzbekistan Coalition, USA
4. Elena Urlaeva, Human Rights Alliance, Uzbekistan
5. Shahida Yakub, Uzbekistan Initiative London, UK
6. Bakhrom Hamroev, , Society of Central Asian Migrants, Russia
7. Surat Ikramov, head of Initiative Group of Independent Right Defenders of Uzbekistan.

For further information and inquiries please contact:

Nigara Khidoyatova
Leader, Free Peasants Party
Address; Tashkent, Lashkarbegi street, 17, Uzbekistan
Tel: +998711322047/1375047
Email: odp2004@gmail.com

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