BLARGistania
23-05-2005, 05:56
Uzbeck leader alters history (http://nytimes.com/2005/05/23/international/asia/23uzbek.html?hp&ex=1116907200&en=4aeb99f12ae300d2&ei=5094&partner=homepage)
That's right. The President of Uzbekistan, a Mr. Islam A. Karimov has decided that he wants his government to cover up the truth of what happened during the riots in which dozens of people died due to troops firing into a demonstaration. Karimov's official explanation is that the troops were fighting Muslim militants intent of overthrowing the government. He states that civilians killed during the clash were either shot be accident or my militant bullets.
What journalists are uncovering though, is that the official story is not the truth. Many of the survivors fled to neighboring Kyrgyzstan. Interviews with the survivors are indicating that a failed coup d'etat set off the protest, and all of the protestors were civilians. The survivors are saying that government troops opened fire on them as they marched through the streets chanting 'freedom'.
Karimov's response has been to deny any access to the city for diplomats, human rights investigators and journalists. Good move there. With a cover-up in progress who would be able to tell the truth of what happened during the protest. An official government version and the version the survivors gave. But the survivors are easy to quiet.
Why is Karimov altering the truth? That's what I want to know. He has given his story and that story is consistantly inconsistant with the stories every survivor or refugee of the incident is giving. And now, there is no access to the city. Something is going on that Karimov doesn't want the world to know. Perhaps its the fact that militants wern't moving to overthrow him in the march. Maybe he's a bit too oppressive? And now he wants it covered so he looks like the good guy. Well, with the survivor stories getting out to the world through Kyrgyzstan, he'll have a tough time trying to convince the world of his side of the story.
That's right. The President of Uzbekistan, a Mr. Islam A. Karimov has decided that he wants his government to cover up the truth of what happened during the riots in which dozens of people died due to troops firing into a demonstaration. Karimov's official explanation is that the troops were fighting Muslim militants intent of overthrowing the government. He states that civilians killed during the clash were either shot be accident or my militant bullets.
What journalists are uncovering though, is that the official story is not the truth. Many of the survivors fled to neighboring Kyrgyzstan. Interviews with the survivors are indicating that a failed coup d'etat set off the protest, and all of the protestors were civilians. The survivors are saying that government troops opened fire on them as they marched through the streets chanting 'freedom'.
Karimov's response has been to deny any access to the city for diplomats, human rights investigators and journalists. Good move there. With a cover-up in progress who would be able to tell the truth of what happened during the protest. An official government version and the version the survivors gave. But the survivors are easy to quiet.
Why is Karimov altering the truth? That's what I want to know. He has given his story and that story is consistantly inconsistant with the stories every survivor or refugee of the incident is giving. And now, there is no access to the city. Something is going on that Karimov doesn't want the world to know. Perhaps its the fact that militants wern't moving to overthrow him in the march. Maybe he's a bit too oppressive? And now he wants it covered so he looks like the good guy. Well, with the survivor stories getting out to the world through Kyrgyzstan, he'll have a tough time trying to convince the world of his side of the story.