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Gulnoza Saidazimova

Also by Gulnoza Saidazimova

May 13, 2006
International Rallies Mark Anniversary

May 13 was the first anniversary of the violent crackdown in the eastern Uzbek city of Andijon. Demonstrations were held in London; Moscow; and Calmar, Sweden, as well as Kyrgyzstan, to commemorate victims of the violence.
May 12, 2006
Andijon Prompted International Power Shift

Even before the short-term effects of the May 2005 bloodshed in Andijon, Uzbekistan, were clear, the long-term consequences began taking shape. Moscow and Beijing backed Uzbek President Islam Karimov, while Western governments cautiously disapproved of the Uzbek authorities' brutal tactics. As Karimov and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, met on the eve of Andijon's anniversary, the early support for the Uzbek leader appeared to be paying dividends.
May 11, 2006
A Bloody Mix Of Social Unrest And A Power Struggle?

Eyewitnesses of the bloodshed in Andijon suggest, at a European Parliament roundtable, that a rivalry between ruling clans helped transform a nonreligious, pro-democracy demonstration into a bloodbath.
May 11, 2006
Andijon Refugees Struggle In Czech Republic

More than 400 Uzbeks fled in panic in the hours and days after the May 2005 unrest in Andijon, Uzbekistan. A year later, 15 of them are trying to cope with an uncertain life in the Czech Republic. "There is a sewing workshop," one man said. "I had to take a test. They said I did well. They should call me tomorrow. I hope I get a job."
May 10, 2006
Witnesses Recall The Bloodshed

Twelve months have passed since tragedy unfolded in the eastern Uzbek city of Andijon, and very little is certain about the violence there. The Uzbek government has accused Western media of fabricating reports of abuses by the authorities.
May 09, 2006
Journalist Recalls Effects Of Andijon

Uzbek media continue to suffer at the hands of one of Central Asia's most repressive administrations -- that of Uzbek President Islam Karimov. Nosir Zokirov, a former RFE/RL correspondent, recently completed a six-month jail sentence for what rights groups say were fabricated charges. His plight echoes that of many other journalists who reported on the bloody government crackdown in the eastern city of Andijon in May 2005.
May 03, 2006
President Karimov Courts Pakistan

Islam Karimov makes his first official trip to Pakistan in 14 years, emerging with trade and other agreements in hand and security on his mind.
May 02, 2006
Crackdown On NGOs Continues

Two Uzbek human rights activists have been arrested and charged with extortion for publishing a report on the abuse of farmers' rights.
April 28, 2006
Uyghurs Hit By States' Cooperation With Beijing

One Uyghur political dissident from China is in detention in Uzbekistan facing extradition to China, where some fear he could face torture and even death, while two more have been detained in Kazakhstan.
April 26, 2006
Islam And The West | Opportunities and challenges

The biggest challenge Islam and the West face today is how each side perceives the other. That was the overall opinion at an RFE/RL roundtable in Prague on April 25. The panelists -- who included an imam from the United States and other experts on Islam -- discussed misconceptions and prejudices between the two societies.
April 26, 2006
Freedom Party Nominates Presidential Candidate

The unregistered Uzbek opposition party Erk (Freedom) has nominated its leader, Muhammad Solih, as a candidate for the 2007 presidential election.
April 18, 2006
Novelist Eresov Triumphs Despite Official Pressure

Turkmen novelist Rahim Esenov is in New York today to receive a major award highlighting literary freedom around the globe. The fact that 79-year-old Esenov will be on hand to accept the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award is remarkable in itself. Turkmen authorities banned him from leaving the country following his arrest in 2004 over his historical novel "The Crowned Wanderer" (also translated as "The Hallowed Wanderer"). But last week, was allowed an exit visa amid pressure from international rights groups and the assistance of the U.S. Embassy in Turkmenistan. (Disclosure: Esenov works as a correspondent for RFE/RL.)
April 13, 2006
Worries Mount Despite Easing Of Umarov's Sentence

An Uzbek court has eased the prison sentence on opposition leader Sanjar Umarov, but his "very strange" appearance in court convinced some that he was drugged.
March 29, 2006
Uzbekistan: Karimov In South Korea Looking For Investment

South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun (right) shakes hands with Uzbek President Karimov at the Blue House in Seoul on March 29 (epa) Uzbek President Islam Karimov is due in South Korea today for talks on economic cooperation. South Korea is the biggest investor in the Uzbek economy. But in recent years, several South Korean companies have left Uzbekistan because of the unfavorable investment climate. Experts see Karimov's visit to Seoul as an attempt to restore economic cooperation and stop investment outflow as well as to find political support -- a crucial necessity amid Uzbekistan's isolation from the West.
March 28, 2006
Islam: Western Bankers Learning To Attract Muslim Clients

Small investors outside the Cairo Stock Exchange discuss, on March 14, the continuing drop in the value in once-booming stocks across the Arab world. (epa) The soaring price of oil has left many Muslims with large sums of cash to invest. A conference in Switzerland highlights the potential for Western banks, but also the challenges they face as they seek to attract the money of the many Muslims who want their investments to comply with the rules of Islamic banking.
March 27, 2006
Tashkent Explosions Still Felt Two Years Later

On March 29, 2004, two deadly bombs exploded in the Uzbek capital Tashkent, a day after an explosion in the central city of Bukhara. They were the start of a chain of violent attacks over three days that left 47 people dead.
March 18, 2006
Uzbekistan/Kazakhstan: Summit Is A Sign Of Changing Times

Uzbek President Islam Karimov (file photo) (AFP) Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev is to meet with Uzbek President Islam Karimov and other government officials for talks on a wide range of issues during a three-day state visit to Uzbekistan starting on March 19. It is Nazarbaev's first state visit since he was reelected in December and comes after Uzbekistan oriented its foreign policy toward Russia following Western criticism over the violent crackdown in Andijon last year.
March 16, 2006
Dissident Imam Comes Out Of Hiding

Uzbek dissident Imam Obidkhon Qori Nazarov has been recognized as a UN refugee and given political asylum in Europe -- he has been in hiding since 1998.
March 15, 2006
A New Destination For Trafficked Women

The International Organization for Migration believes a growing number of Central Asians are being trafficked – and that the region's richest country, Kazakhstan, is now becoming a destination country.
March 07, 2006
Central Asia: Internet Fills Void Left By Media On Religious Freedom Issues

Kazakh Muslims at prayer (file photo) (RFE/RL) While the degree of media freedom varies considerably among the five countries of Central Asia, there appears to be a region-wide aversion to the thorny issue of religious freedom. It is difficult to gauge whether the reasons might lie in a reluctance to confront controversy -- as some argue -- or in state-imposed strictures or even a fear of offending. The result is that, aside from cursory references to the dominant religions, the domestic media have generally shied away from questions of faith. But civil-society groups and independent media outlets -- with the help of increased Internet penetration -- are trying to change that.

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