[Originally posted by Laurence Jarvik]
According to RADIO FREE EUROPE/ RADIO LIBERTY:
A court in Tashkent on 12 September ruled that the International Research and Exchange Board, or IREX, has broken Uzbek laws on foreign assistance groups.
The Uzbek Independent Committee for Freedom of Speech and Expression today quotes the Uzbek Justice Ministry as saying IREX had failed to provide authorities with information on Uzbek citizens studying in IREX-funded programs in the United States.
UPDATE: IREX has a statement on their site.
“Suspending the activities of IREX in Uzbekistan is an unfortunate step that will impede the development of Uzbek civil society and the strengthening of higher education,” stated Mark G. Pomar, President of IREX. “For over 40 years,” he noted, “IREX has conducted programs, first with the Soviet Union and later with the newly independent states of Eurasia, and we are very proud of the major accomplishments of the alumni of these programs. IREX is appealing the suspension and we expect a quick resolution of this issue and the reinstatement of IREX’s activities in Uzbekistan.”
That last bit sounds overly optimistic to me.
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.
{ 6 comments }
Well, clearly this program had outlived it’s usefullness because why would “The Great Republic” need to send it’s people to other countries to study? Hell, it’s completely inefficent. Why go and get a Ph.D in the United States, where you have to work for years, when you can buy one in Tashkent for a few hundred dolllars? Why study medicine in France when you can become an accreditated surgeon for less than it costs to buy a decent television?
dude, you need to get outta there…
what a shame…
Hmm… so David, you’re saying that instead, WE should go to Uzbekistan to get our education, because it’s cheaper and a heck of a lot easier! I could be a medical doctor in no time! I like your ideas and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
afsus….. shu grantni yutaman deb shuncha kutdim.
boshqasini qidiraman shekilli…:)
Daaa, IREXa toje zakrivaut. Prosto ujass. IREX naverno bila edinstvennoy oragnizatsiey, kotoraya rabotala pravilno, t.e vsyo po zakonu, a ne “po chyornomy” kak v nekotorix organizatsiyah. I eto blagodarya buhgalteram i directoru IREXa, no chego ne skajesh o CSSI (Civil Society Suport Project), v kotorom sobralis odni tolko nedoumki, odna Guli i Jamilya Azamovna chego stoyat.