A handful of protesters gathered outside the US embassy in Tashkent to protest the upcoming parliamentary election.
“We are gathered outside the US Embassy to deliver our message to the outside world,” Dilorom Isakhova, one of the participants and spokeswoman of the outlawed Erk (Freedom) Party, told IRIN. “Though we don’t hold much hope of seeing US pressure on the Uzbek government, it is our only chance to reach the international community,” she added.
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Akhtam Shaimardonov, a member of Free Farmers Party, told IRIN he came to protest against the upcoming parliamentary elections, which he expects to be totally undemocratic. “So, we are addressing the US president with an open letter to ask him to raise his voice in defence of democracy in Uzbekistan,” he said.
I certainly hope the State Department does make a fuss about the election in the weeks leading up to it and in its aftermath.
In a related thought, holding a protest outside of the US embassy is nothing short of brilliant. It gets attention and gives the police a disincentive to interfere (during the protest anyway).
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.