uzbekresistanceandtheinternet

[uzbekresistanceandtheinternet]

Burying the Truth: Uzbekistan Rewrites the Story of the Andijan Massacre

Human Rights Watch (Organization) (52)

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Eric Freedman and Richard Shafer. After the czars and commissars: journalism in authoritarian post- Soviet Central Asia. (192)

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Giovanni Ziccardi. Resistance, Liberation Technology and Human Rights in the Digital Age. (264)

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Giovanni Ziccardi. Resistance, Liberation Technology and Human Rights in the Digital Age. (267)

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This PDF file created by Article 19 discusses the Uzbek laws concerning “Principles of and Guarantees for Freedom of Information” while also recommending solutions to the law (such as abolishing some or restricting others).

This is very important to retain and mention when discussing the navigation of the internet in Uzbekistan, as the very laws controlling the internet and content overpass the capacity for users to speak.

Excerpt:

“While it may be appropriate for the State to regulate the “public relations” and the “principal objectives and directions of activity” of its own bodies, it is obviously totally inappropriate for it to regulate such public relations, and even more so, the principal objectives and directions of activity, of private organisations, even in the service of “information security”. Such a power of government effectively subjects all activities of all organisations to the prior approval of government, in violation of a host of human rights including, but not limited to, the right to freedom of expression.”

[uzbekresistanceandtheinternet]

The journey of links and the power of navigation through internet literacy:

First photo, tweet: Committee of CIVIL ASSISTANCE / This boy’s name is Диёр Абдуллаев (Dier Abdullaev). He is a year and four months old. His family - Uzbek.. vk.cc/2m7lob

This tweet was found randomly through a search containing the words “migrant” “attack”. The tweet contains a link to a vk page that is outdated.

Second photo, out of use VK page.

Third photo, google search: Upon using a simple search of the key words комитет гражданское содействие диёр абдуллаев (committee of civil assistance dier abdullaev) there are multiple results. As visible, the facebook link was opened.

Fourth photo: The link contains an explanation of the situation, and bank details in order for people to help the family affected available for donations in euro, dollar, and rouble options. This money is going towards the operation for the boy’s eye, who was attacked with acetic essence and whos cornea is now damaged. The post also contains information to another website that contains updates regarding Abdullaev’s health and even location.

Fifth photo: refugee.ru

Sixth photo: http://refugee.ru/news/istoriya-diyora-kirgiziya/ The story of Dier Abdullaev upon a simple search of writing Диёр Абдуллаев. There are multiple articles situated when searching his name.

Seventh photo: Comments on the facebook post. 

As is visible, the committee is very active and quick to reply to any questions. 

One user asked, “What is the current situation?” 

The committee replied: “Thank you for your question. The boy was operated in the Morozovskaya hospital, and thankfully, started to distinguish light and darkness. So far, this is maximum that can be obtained according to doctors. Right now, the boy and his mother are in Osh and they are banned from entering Moscow and the Russian Federation until 2018. When the ban will be lifted, they will return to the same hospital and try to operate further with the funds collected that remain. 

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An example of an article containing links that are outdated and do not function. Here, Fitz, the American owner of the blog, is attempting to share the original sources that are being quoted but unfortunately, they no longer function. 

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“Umida Niyazova, True Heroe from Uzbekistan. Founder of German-based NGO Uzbek-German Forum for Human Rights (UGF). Harassed, imprisoned, forced to exile for fighting human rights abuses in her country since 2000. Umida was invited to Geneva by CCPR-Centre to attend the review of her country by the UN Human Rights Committee on 8 and 9 July 2015.”

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“Since 1999, Uzbekistan’s ongoing, systematic forced sterilization program has affected tens of thousands of women. All women of reproductive age who have delivered two or more children are potential targets, but women with lower socio-economic status and representatives of ethnic minorities are more likely to be sterilized. Medical professionals throughout the country have come under pressure to perform sterilizations, and local health administrators attempt to outperform one another in order to please the central authorities.

Since 1989, the Uzbek government has forced farmers to grow and citizens to pick cotton to fill central government coffers, in violation of national law and international labor standards. Each autumn, the Uzbek government forces children, teenagers, university students, public-sector workers—including teachers, doctors and nurses—and private-sector employees to pick cotton under appalling conditions. Those who refuse are expelled from school, fired from their jobs, denied public benefits, or worse.

In this discussion, BBC journalist Natalia Antelava speaks about her recent paper “Forced Sterilization in Uzbekistan,” and Matthew Fischer-Daly addresses global efforts to end forced labor of children and adults in the cotton sector in Uzbekistan.”

[uzbekresistanceandtheinternet]

An article written by Catherine Fitz, the same author of a blog with news on Uzbek activism and updates on situations such as human rights activist Elena Urlaeva’s detention(s). 

“Hamrayev believes Karimov was released in conjunction with the visit to Tashkent October 22 of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was believed to have quietly mentioned some cases of political prisoners. Another political prisoner, Norboy Kholjigitov was released before her trip this year after serving 6 years of a 10 year sentence, and last year, Farkhad Mukhtarov, a human rights activist who had served less than half of a 4-year sentence, was paroled after her trip.”

This article discusses and dissipates several informations such as the contemplation of the possible motives to release political prisoners. 

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“She has previously been jailed, forcibly admitted to a psychiatric hospital and beaten by men with knives in front of her child on the street in Tashkent.”

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“I believe the government of Uzbekistan has purposefully created this situation my husband and I are in. No one comes to the defense of the child; no one comes to the defense of the human rights activist. In the past year, Mansur has skipped many days of work, and the administration purposefully encourages him to drink. No one notices that Mansur is being pressured into drunkenness and hooliganism, and that through him, the government wants to take care of me and create the right conditions to do away with a human rights activist.”

[uzbekresistanceandtheinternet]

“Like a number of people who are on Elena Urlaeva's mailing list, I received her "SOS" cry for help on March 13 -- only this time, it wasn't for someone else (she sends out alerts about other victims just about every day) -- it was for herself.”

Direct action from human rights activist Elena Urlaeva reaching out to multiple people on her mailing list - including Catherine Fitz, the author of this blog post residing in New York City.

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“Tojiboy-ugli said Urlaeva had been preparing for a major speech in Geneva, and had a number of documents on a flash-drive, but this was now missing.”

This is an article written by Catherine Fitz, an American author based in New York City, describing the placement of Urlaeva in a psychiatric hospital in Tashkent. 

To note: This author has accumulated from several sources information concerning Urlaeva, including her past warnings of being “that authorities were trying to put her back in psychiatric hospital as a way of suppressing her human rights activism.” There are several links to other blog posts made by Fitz and to other sources, such as independent news agencies reporting on Uzbek people. 

The internet has allowed Urlaeva to function as a human rights activist, not only from communicating directly with people, but also the spread of information that is activated throughout these interactions.

[uzbekresistanceandtheinternet]

This article describes the release of Elena Urlaeva from the Tashkent psychiatric hospital