Are this: “this still doesn’t weights up against the hundreds of Muslims that were massacred in Andijan” and this: “many Russians and Jews are staunch supporters and even minions of the hated Karimov regime” not true perhaps? No?

What happened to Weil is a tragedy but likely more a one-off. The deeper tragedy in Uzbekistan is that of the *real* and *permanent* victims of the Karimovite regime:

*the Uzbeks (and they are not a few) who are humiliated, harrassed, imprisoned, … because they find direction, identity and a better way of life in Islam.

*the numerous small, medium and even larger entrepreneurs whose are being strangled and broken because the regime is not tolerating any economic initiative that is not under control of Karimova’s business empire and thus keeps hundred of thousands in structural poverty.

Don’t forget that. I am realist and call a spade a spade. A regime like that of Karimov has no future. Yet the situation is now such that change will unavoidably go with a phase of violent chaos with score settling, looting etc. There is too much cropped-up hatred and frustration.

“I think that’s overestimating how cunning and smart these people could be…”

Well, they are, to an extent that it works with the ignorant, the gullible, the losers and the odd dodgy type (all being characteristsics suiting part of the expats and dip corps in CA). And with the Akiners of course.

“in my experience most organizations are clumsier and stupider than you’d like to believe.”

Uzb governement organizations or international ones? In my experience its often both (UNDP, Unesco and EBRD topping the list).

As for van Gogh: don’t make martyrs of people who don’t deserve it. Or if you really want to, then blame neocon house negro Ayaan Hirsi Ali for using him for her anti-Islamic campaign.

Are this “this still doesn’t weights up against the hundreds of Muslims that were massacred in Andijan” and this “many Russians and Jews are staunch supporters and even minions of the hated Karimov regime” not true perhaps? No?

What happened to Weil is a tragedy but likely more a one-off. The deeper tragedy in Uzbekistan is that of the *real* and *permanent* victims of the Karimovite regime:

*the Uzbeks (and they are not a few) who are humiliated, harrassed, imprisoned, … because they find direction, identity and a better way of life in Islam.

*the numerous small, medium and even larger entrepreneurs whose are being strangled and broken because the regime is not tolearteing any economic initiative that is not under control of Karimova’s business empire and thus keeps hundred of thousands in structural poverty.

*…

Don’t forget that. I am realist and call a spade a spade. A regime like that of Karimov has no future. Yet the situation is now such that change will unavoidably go with a phase of violent chaos with score settling, looting etc. There is too much cropped-up hatred and frustration.

“I think that’s overestimating how cunning and smart these people could be…”

Well, they are, to an extent that it works with the ignorant, the gullible, the losers and the odd dodgy type (all being characteristsics suiting part of the expats and dip corps in CA). And with the Akiners of course.

“in my experience most organizations are clumsier and stupider than you’d like to believe.”

Uzb governement organizations or international ones? In my experience its often both (UNDP, Unesco and EBRD topping the list).

As for van Gogh: don’t make martyrs of people who don’t deserve it.

Ataman’s approach, however, is strange. Ataman and most other people on this blog are generally in agreement about the awful Uzbek government. But his loudmouth and divisive approach, “this still doesn’t weights up against the hundreds of Muslims that were massacred in Andijan” “many Russians and Jews are staunch supporters and even minions of the hated Karimov regime” “Van Gogh was basically a pig”, doesn’t inspire confidence that local opposition would do much better at running the Uzbek government. I’m basically on Ataman’s side concerning how bad the Uzbek government is, so why is he trying to be so divisive?

But Freedom House was trying to please the Karimov regime? For a decade now they’ve been giving the Karimov regime practically their worst freedom ratings possible. I know that this was the time that the US government was supporting Uzbekistan, but I think bringing in a staged international doctor so that he could give a false autopsy report that exonerated the Uzbek government is a bit outlandish. I think that’s overestimating how cunning and smart these people could be… in my experience most organizations are clumsier and stupider than you’d like to believe.

As to your reference to the autopsy performed by international doctor, I don’t think it is quite correct argument. That examination was arranged by Freedom House which was then eager to please the Karimov regime. One can’t exclude that the doctor was just paid for his fake conclusion. I know also that Human Rights Watch never reports on unchecked cases.

See, the problem with people like Van Gogh and the likes is, that in their illusion of moral superiority, they get into things that they actually don’t grasp. In fact they are terribly naïve. In the present world climate and nascent world chaos, they willy nilly end up becoming a pawn, an instrument of groups and personalities whose intentions and agendas are far from, well, ‘emancipatory’.

Maybe think about that before embarking on an effeminate emotional rant.

“Why don’t you get a job working for Karimov, he needs people with no sense of humanity.”

If only his website http://www.gov.uz/ru/ had a ‘Vacancies’ section… Unless I have to look under ‘Investment possibilities’? LOL

How can you possibly believe that you are any better than Islam Karimov when you make a statement like that? Why don’t you get a job working for Karimov, he needs people with no sense of humanity.

Remember a few years ago when an Uzbek human rights group claimed that a prisoner was burned to death and wanted an independent autopsy? Well, Uzbekistan eventually let an international doctor perform an autopsy and he concluded that the prisoner died of natural causes. That incident embarrassed the human rights group and it really helped the Uzbek government. I think unprofessional attitudes contributed to that debacle.

Right now we don’t know any clear motives for Mark Weil’s killing. Ferghana.ru is reporting that Mr. Weil may have gotten into an argument with some drug addicts near his apartment. We can definitely speculate that Gulnara or some other Karimov may have been involved, but let’s also not rule out other kinds of motivation (and then bring up Andijan, as if it’s somehow connected).

OK. Indeed, everybody presents the version which is a projection his/her own concern. You’re concerned of anti-Semitism and promptly point-out at the anti-Semitic motives.

But we also can follow the argument of probability. It is improbable that anybody in Uzbekistan would dare to kill someone being driven by anti-Semitic motives. Yes, some level of this disease does exit in Uzbekistan, but so far there have not been any precedents of murder on this ground, while one can bring about a lot of precedents of how Karimov and his clique have relentlessly eliminated those whom they dislike, and they just spit out at the world public opinion. Satraps don’t care of public opinion at all. As was said, Gulnara could not miss the temptation to privatise the Ilkhom for her PR deals, what is why this is most probable trace. I fear we’ll never learn what has really happened. The police will just find a escape goat who will ‘confess’ of killing Mark. Another reason for Karimov to be irritated by Mark was Mark’s quite frequent remarks in numerous interviews about the political realities in Uzbekistan. Karimov with his paranoid hate to all dissidents would not tolerate such critics at his kingdom regardless of Mark’s international profile.