According to unpublished reports, Ruslan Sharipov, the Uzbek journalist and human rights activist, has been freed from house arrest. Sharipov was in a Moscow hospital receiving treatment for an infection on September 1. He is currently applying for political asylum in the United States and being interviewed by the Moscow embassy’s refugee coordinator.
Details of the events leading up to the release of Mr. Sharipov are unclear. It is not unreasonable to assume that the Uzbek government’s decision to release Ruslan was, in one way or another, secured by pressure from the United States. The State Department has expressed concern over the case in the past.
Developing…
This post was written by...
Nathan Hamm – author of 2040 posts on Registan.net.
Nathan founded Registan.net in 2003. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan 2000-2001 and received his MA in Central Asian Studies from the University of Washington in 2007. Since 2007, he has worked full-time as an analyst, consulting with clients on Central Asian affairs, specializing in how socio-cultural factors shape risks and opportunities. Follow him on Twitter or drop him a line.
{ 1 comment }
According BBC news in Uzbek he got a political asylum in the States