One Year After Andijan

Washington, May 8, 2006

The Congress of Democratic Uzbekistan (CDU) welcomes the conference, One Year After Andijan: What’s Next For Uzbekistan and the U.S., taking place on May 9^th in Washington DC, on the first anniversary of the Andijan Massacre. The tribute to this tragedy is our way of paying respect to those who were slaughtered in the tragedy. The Congress of Democratic Uzbekistan appreciates the organizers and supporters of this conference.

Andijan massacre urged everyone to unite to promote democracy. The CDU was founded after the Andijan events, at the June 11, 2005 meeting of the Uzbek democrats. The meeting focused on the disintegration among the different Uzbek democratic movements which always enabled the tyranny to prolong its existence and outcomes.

A month later the CDU summoned its next meeting in which the representatives of all Uzbek democratic opposition groups participated. It was concluded that the union of various Uzbek democratic forces within the same coalition was going to be a prolonged process. After the meeting the CDU concentrated on working with the youth to promote democracy among Uzbek society. Finally on September 25^th , the Congress of Democratic Uzbekistan was established. The CDU was registered in the US on November 18, 2005 as a non-profit and international organization. The CDU unites many members in Uzbekistan, US, Europe and CIS countries, advances freedom and democracy. Shortly after, number of youths, Uzbek human rights activists, independent journalists, and democrats joined the CDU. CDU has various groups in Tashkent and within the seven provinces where under the pressure of dictatorship regime they are unable to freely promote values of democracy.

Some of the first members of the CDU were harshly persecuted and were forced into political asylum abroad through the UN. CDU members: Rizo Obid, Egamnazar Shoymanov were forced to flee Uzbekistan; well-known poet and a politician Dadakhan Hasan is being forcibly interrogated by the National Security Services (formerly known as KGB) for his songs; the famous poet Yusuf Juma is pleading the world community for help under constant threats by NSS; young journalist Kamoliddin Hamzayev was interrogated to expose the list of CDU memebers; the families of Ghayrat Mirzo, Jamshid Ochilov, Ilhom Isoqov, Tursunpulot Nazarov, Ikrom Abdukarimov and others are being subjected to the pressure of Uzbek police; Bakhtiyor Hamro, the author of “Jizzak Sadosi”(“Echo of Jizzak”) column on www.uzbekcongress.org is living under persecution.

In addition to this, Uzbek services RFE/RL and VOA funded by the US Congress are boycotting CDU. Even after the hunger strike of Bahadir Chariyev, Deputy Chair of CDU and the leader of “Birdamlik” (Solidarity Movement) against the internal censorship of Uzbek services in March 2006, the Uzbek services had refused to air his interview on nonviolent struggle.

This shows how the Uzbek government and those who are loyal to it are afraid of the spreading democracy and how they have been fighting against it with all their strength. However, the enemies of democracy, no matter how hard they try, will never be able to stop the movement of democracy. Democracy will prevail.