Steve Swerdlow
@steveswerdlow
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Human rights lawyer, Associate Professor of the Practice of Human Rights, Dept. of Pol. Science & Int'l Relations @USC Former @hrw . Central Asia, Eurasia.
Los Angeles; Kyrgyzstan
Joined February 2012
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I received a message today that I’ll never forget: one of the world’s longest imprisoned journalists—Yusuf Ruzimuradov—is now free after 19 hellish years.
#Uzbekistan
#MomentofHope
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Good on
@lapatina_
for an excellent piece in today's
@nytimes
"Putin Picked the Wrong Country to Mess With"
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As former monitor for the Union of Councils for Soviet Jews based in Russia's North Caucasus & South Caucasus many years back, I extensively visited Jewish communities in the region, although visiting the ancient Jewish community in Derbent, Dagestan was always difficult.
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Big fan of
@RandyRainbow
but with
#FiddlerontheRoof
this video takes a special place in my heart.
#Chutzpah
in the best sense of the word!
Infection...Inaction...Deflection...
#Distraction
! 🎶
🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♂️🤷🏾♀️🤷🏽♂️🤷🏻♀️🤷🏿♂️🤷🏼♀️🤷♂️
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@TUmarov
An important announcement no doubt but made FAR easier by Kazakhstan’s much earlier statement on non-recognition of Russia’s unilateral announcement on the DNR and LNR, no?
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Azerbaijan’s Attack on American Company Should End Sanctions Waiver
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Learning that as
@RFERL
undergoes budget cuts leading
#CentralAsia
watcher & all-around great person
@BrucePannier
is among them-There's simply no one who brings more breadth & depth each day to this tumultuous region from energy to ethnic conflict. Hope this can be reconsidered.
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Nagorno-Karabakh crisis forces western rethink on Azerbaijan
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Some exciting news-Am honored to be appointed full-time Associate Professor of the Practice of Human Rights at
@USC
's Dept of Political Science & Int'l Relations. Look fwd to working w/ colleagues, students to research & advance
#humanrights
globally, in
#CentralAsia
, &
#Eurasia
!
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As alarming violence & aggression against Armenians resumes, it is more important than ever that we speak up, call out Azerbaijan's pattern of repeatedly using illegal force to grab territory & lend support to Armenians' voices.
@GoldenTent
@aniboghoss
@hyelights_tsv
@CFTJustice
Everything I could say about Azerbaijan's attacks on Armenia proper I said back in 2020. This was never about territorial integrity, but about the total destruction of Armenia.
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Today for first time in years, in response to serious international pressure,
#Tajikistan
has released a political prisoner! Hopefully, the first of many hundreds to come. Am so proud to say that
#KhayrulloisFree
! A picture of his family, with tears of joy, outside the courthouse
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How We've Failed Armenia, Again.
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@BBCSteveR
A common element between those pogroms (such as Chisinau, 1903) & what occurred this week is pervasive ignorance about Jews (despite their long presence in Dagestan) and powerful, opportunistic state-sponsored propaganda that feeds hatred and violence.
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Best photo I've ever tweeted: Hours ago 4yr old
#Hamza
& his mom-kept for years as hostages inside
#Tajikistan
to punish his grandfather's political activism-were FINALLY allowed to leave the country to get medical care. Here they are in Istanbul airport!
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What happened in the airport in Makhachkala was frightening on so many levels, but seems to certainly represent a sort of permanent rupture for Jews in the North Caucasus, who up until now were largely able to continue (albeit amidst enormous obstacles) & to maintain synagogues.
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What happened in Makhachkala, and earlier in Khasavyurt, really destroys that fragile coexistence, that fleeting harmony, for good. I fear this will dramatically accelerate that process of exodus of Jews from the North Caucasus-a phenomenon already so familiar to Jewish history.
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Starvation as a Means of Genocide: Azerbaijan’s Blockade of the Lachin Corridor Between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh
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Friends-After nearly 10 incredible yrs at
@HRW
& w/ profound gratitude for honor serving the most dynamic
#humanrights
org. out there I've taken new role at UNDP & will be sharing more news on next steps soon. 4 now, pls stay tuned re new (!) job opening 4
#CentralAsia
researcher
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UN experts urge Azerbaijan to lift Lachin corridor blockade and end humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh
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Like
@BBCSteveR
these events also conjured for me thoughts of the anti-Semitic pogroms that prompted my own great-grandfather & other relatives to flee the Russian empire in the early 1900s.
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Even in the early 2000s the Jewish community in neighboring Kabardino-Balkaria published this compendium of stories about their dwindling community, labeling this work “Exodus: Mountain Jews, The Destruction of the Harmony of Worlds,” 2000.
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Будучи джазменом который долгое время крутился в джазовых кругах Бишкека я могу сказать что мне знаком Викрам. Руки прочь от моего любимого джаз коммунити Кыргызстана!
@ADoolotkeldieva
Кошмар, это известный Джазовый исполнитель Викрам Рузахунов в Кыргызстане. Он часто ездил в Казахстан участвовал на концертах там. Его в Джазовых кругах Мира многие знают. Мы его знаем и любим!
Пожалуйста не вешайте на него чего не может быть, отпустите его. Он простой музыкант!
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AMAZING NEWS from
#Uzbekistan
:
#MuhammadBekjanov
, world's longest imprisoned journalist, has just been freed from prison after 18 long years
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The community in Derbent, Dagestan was under security risks posed by violent extremist groups. But somehow they held on, fiercely proud of their unique Mountain Jewish identity and of their place in the larger fabric of diverse ethnic groups across the Caucasus.
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But I had a front row seat to the difficulties faced by the Mountain Jewish communities in this region, spending many weeks in the Jewish community in the North Caucasus Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria (Nalchik), who were then (early 2000s) dwindling due to emigration to Israel.
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Nagorno-Karabakh Blockade: Desperate Armenians Pile Food In Front Of UN
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Notwithstanding Dagestan’s somewhat complicated relationship with Chechnya, Kadyrov has normalized anti-Semitism as well as political mob violence in general for young Muslim men across the North Caucasus for years now.
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Yesterday in
#Andijan
#Uzbekistan
@hrw
witnessed touching moment: 2 recently imprisoned
#humanrights
defenders
#IsroiljonKholdarov
&
#GanihonMamatkhanov
, now free, met after last seeing each other behind bars. Isroiljon wasn’t sure until then that Ganihon had survived.
#Hope
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Indeed, they would point out the numerous examples when Kabardinians, Balkars and many other Muslim peoples of the region refused to cooperate with Hitler’s SS during the occupation of Nalchik and helped the Mountain Jews avoid arrest and extermination, blending in with them.
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I'll be appearing today on
@ScholarsCircle
radio show to discuss horrific humanitarian catastrophe in
#Nagorno_Karabakh
#Azerbaijan
#Armenia
w/
#humanrights
legal expert
#HurstHannum
as well as political scientist
#AnnaOhanyan
. Thank you
#DougBecker
4 putting this on!
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Fresh mass graves in
#Ukraine
,
#Azerbaijan
's brazen incursion into Armenia w/
#humanitarianlaw
violations, detentions of
#Karakalpak
activists in
#Kazakhstan
, widescale fighting btwn
#TajikistanKyrgyzstan
: Post-Soviet space badly needs robust focus on
#humanrights
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Deeply worrying report coming from
#Kyrgyzstan
regarding the disappearance of the president of Turkish-Kyrgyzstan schools, who has long resided in #
#Bishkek
with Kyrgyzstan citizenship. Hoping this is not what is feared.
@nateschenkkan
@EdwardLemon3
#transnationalrepression
President of Turkish-Kyrgyz schools feared to have been abducted in Bishkek
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Let's note that unknown assailants burned a Jewish cultural center under construction in Nalchik (west of Dagestan) only days ago. Before the arson, nationalists circulated a petition citing the small number of the Jewish diaspora in the republic.
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“Alex Stamos, director of Stanford Internet Observatory, said it was “odd” that Musk-who has spent months complaining about Twitter’s problem w/ bots-would use a poll in which bots could be voting & then assume result “reflects some kind of legitimate ‘voice of the people.’”
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While not Dagestani, the Chechen thug-dictator-extraordinaire, Ramzan Kadyrov, is certainly one of the most prominent anti-Semitic voices in the region and he has undoubtedly stoked the flames of hatred over his social media for years.
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A must read Op-Ed from my
@usc
colleague
@salpighazarian
: The cruel blockade against Armenians shows the world order has collapsed
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Yet another tragic aspect of these events is to wipe away that history of tolerance, revealing the region as now openly hostile and mortally dangerous to all Jews. I greatly hope work will be done to reverse this process.
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Armenia Vows To Keep Aid Truck Convoy At Azerbaijani Checkpoint For As Long As Necessary
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Honored to have the illustrious
@simonforco
&
@ArtyomTonoyan
as guests today in my course
#HumanRights
in Post-Soviet Eurasia! Can't think of better voices to address
#humanrights
challenges facing
#Armenia
Nagorno-Karabakh
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One point of pride Mountain Jewry communities would emphasize to me during our discussions was the ways in which the N. Caucasus represented a CONTRAST with the areas of the former Pale of Settlement where anti-Semitism prevalent.
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FANTASTIC news from
#Uzbekistan
: Pres. signs order to close notorious
#Jaslyk
prison, situated in northwestern Uzbekistan.
#Jaslyk
has been known for horrific acts of torture since early 2000s &
@UNHumanRights
has been calling for its closure for 17 yrs.
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Was so heartened today in
#Tashkent
to finally meet
#Uzbekistan
#humanrights
defender
#AkzamTurgunov
, freed last month after 8 years of prison and torture. Turgunov's spirit was never broken & he's ready to begin the next chapter of his public service. He needs our support.
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Today Uzbekistan finally released from prison Dilmurod Saidov, a courageous journalist known for his muckraking reports on corruption. Saidov has been in prison since 2009 and has long been suffering from tuberculosis. So heartened to learn he is finally free! Pics coming...
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Russian oligarchs hide money in U.S. Only reliable data can stop them.
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Early this morning the world lost a wonderful person,
#humanrights
hero, a fearless lawyer, an opposition figure, a fighter for women's rights and for basic human dignity:
#Tajik
human rights lawyer Fayziniso Vohidova, who died in Khujand from complications due to pneumonia (.)
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#Belarus
: Just when you think things can't worse. Authorities now arrest LAWYER representing already detained opposition leader
#MariaKolesnikova
. This level of repression now rivals worst totalitarian crackdowns in
#CentralAsia
, circa
#Tajikistan
's crackdown on lawyers in 2015
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Incredible significant development in
#Uzbekistan
today for
#freeexpression
as govt finally declares it will end years-long blocking of critical websites, incl
@hrw
,
@AmerikaOvozi
,
@bbcuzbek
@amnesty
@ferganaru
@eurasianet
& others. If implemented, this is a MAJOR step forward.
Ўзбекистон Республикаси Президенти Администрацияси ҳузуридаги Ахборот ва оммавий коммуникациялар агентлиги бош директори Комил Алламжоновнинг Фейсбукдаги саҳифасида агентликнинг расмий баёноти эълон қилинди.
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Devastating, just devastating. Sorry you are experiencing this, Nastia.
Russians broke into my family's house. Went through all of our stuff. Took mom's computer, all her shoes, her camera – a gift from dad, who died in 2017. God knows what else they took. Imagine a place where you grew up and lived your best moments violated in this manner
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Great news to report & proof of efficacy of good ol' fashioned
#humanrights
work-Today the
#Tajik
government relented & allowed
@khudoidodova
's daughter
#Fatima
, grandmother & brother to leave the country. Thanks so much to all who supported the effort!
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Hard to believe I’m tweeting this-
#Uzbekistan
’s For. Ministry today awarded journalistic accreditation to local correspondent from
@ferganaru
—one of most independent & critical media outlets on & about
#Uzbekistan
. A significant and important step for
#pressfreedom
in Uzbekistan.
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Central Asia is changing: the Biden administration should pay close attention
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Extremely worrying
Uzbekistan: Colleagues worried about the whereabouts of journalist Madina Ochilova, who covers economic issues (
@USAGM
VOA trainee). As far as they know, she was called in for interrogation by the authorities today. 10:30 pm in Tashkent now and no signs of Madina.
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@melindaharing
@HughAWilliamson
I can confirm the distances are HUGE. Definitely a sterile feel compared to the old Ataturk airport. BTW, who decided to take “Ataturk” out of the title and why?
@nateschenkkan
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The role journalists play in our world is critical. Support their right to work free from harassment and danger, in conflict and everywhere in the world.
#WorldPressFreedomDay
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Indescribable sadness & anger at death of a deeply good & courageous man-Azimjon Askarov-who literally gave his life to document police abuses in
#Kyrgyzstan
-So much to express now, but first, my deepest condolences to his wife Khadija (below) & Azimjon's children
#RestInPower
.
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Morally Reprehensible:
#Tajikistan
has cruelly put a travel ban on a critically ill child in order to punish his grandfather, a political activist. LIFT THE BAN NOW, say
@nhc_no
&
@hrw
. Allow 4 yr old child to receive potentially life-saving treatment
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#Belarus
' ambassador to Slovakia, Igor Leschenya, makes video message pledging support for the protesters, becoming the first diplomat to publicly break with Lukashenko.
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Yesterday after over 4 yrs in jail simply for doing his job
#Tajikistan
released
#ShukhratKudratov
-1 of country's most courageous lawyers. So grateful you are free, Shukhrat! We've been waiting for this moment far too long. Background on his case here:
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My first time experiencing the Uzbekistan Airways pre-takeoff flight video. Extra points for that truly Uzbek flavor... “We ask that you do not smoke during the flight”
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Source in govt in Almaty telling me "no matter how dark these next few days get one thing is clear: Era of Nazarbayev is finally over... Pol. elite, Tokayev included, understand by now that if they have any hope of holding on to power they must distance themselves from him"
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RSVP!! More than 400 people were detained in a brutal protest crackdown in
#Belarus
yesterday. THIS WEDNESDAY, 1pm EASTERN
@uscpoir
will analyze where things stand 2 months into the crackdown w/ the incomparable
@TanyaLokshina
&
@HannaLiubakova
. SIGN UP:
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Today imprisoned human rights lawyer
#ShukhratKudratov
turns 41 in prison in
#Tajikistan
. Happy birthday, Shukhrat, you are NOT forgotten! We will keep fighting for your freedom.
@hrw
's original statement on Kudratov's arrest here:
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Yesterday marked 3 mos. since the people of
#NagornoKarabakh
were placed under a blockade via
#LachinCorridor
, leading to an ongoing humanitarian crisis. An honor to discuss this w/ legendary
@Richard_RSC
on
@ScholarsCircle
w/
@DougBeckerSC1
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Absolutely staggering # of individuals being detained in aftermath of
#Kazakhstan
protests. One report states 7939 persons detained on charges of "taking part in disturbances." Extremely concerned that authorities are violating due process guarantees such as access to counsel.
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#Uzbekistan
After such a difficult 2020, feel so thankful to visit the mausoleum of al-Bukhari, a site of pure tranquility 25 km outside
#Samarkand
& major pilgrimage site for Muslims worldwide.
#Bukhari
was Islamic scholar who authored Hadith collection sacred to many believers.
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Quite a happy scene outside
#Tashkent
courtroom with journalist
#BobomurodAbdullaev
finally reunited with his wife and children after 7 months of torture, detention, and trial. So heartened to see him free!
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#Uzbekistan
has 1 of largest populations of political prisoners in world-more than all former Soviet states combined
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This is
#AndreiKubatin
—a bookish, mild-mannered and world-renowned expert on
#Turkic
history and culture who has been imprisoned on charges of Treason and tortured. After a two year battle today he finally got a new trial.
#HopingforSwiftJustice
#Uzbekistan
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Not many realize that
#Uzbekistan
holds world's longest imprisoned journalist
#MuhammadBekjanov
-in prison for 17yrs.
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Threatened, beaten & confined to psychiatric hospitals but
#ElenaUrlaeva
keeps fighting 4 Uzbeks' hum rts
#HappyBday
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Important thread from a leading Central Asian activist for LGBT rights. Right on,
@anvar_latipov
!
@sarahkendzior
Regardless of what you think about
@PeteButtigieg
you have to admit: this is truly a historic moment in this country and around the world. Just think about the hope in the eyes of scared LGBTQI people in Uzbekistan who were taught to believe that our existence is an abomination.
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Following an outpouring of support for
@BrucePannier
's invaluable work, the
#CentralAsia
-watching community & beyond is circulating a letter urging
@RFERL
to reconsider the decision to let him go. A link for those interested in signing can be found here:
Learning that as
@RFERL
undergoes budget cuts leading
#CentralAsia
watcher & all-around great person
@BrucePannier
is among them-There's simply no one who brings more breadth & depth each day to this tumultuous region from energy to ethnic conflict. Hope this can be reconsidered.
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Will be on
@trtworld
Tomorrow, Tuesday 8:30ET/2:30CET w/
@AijanCo
@KadyrToktogulov
to discuss latest tragic developments in
#Kyrgyzstan
#Tajikistan
border conflict. Great to join such thoughtful experts to advocate for
#HumanRights
protection in this crisis.
#ProtectCivilians
now
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Think we can all agree that these courageous singers at
#Minsk
’s philharmonic possess the most beautiful sounding voices on earth at this moment. Theirs is the sound of ordinary people shedding their fear and standing up for their dignity.
#BelarusSolidarity
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Disappointing that in the nearly three minutes where
@FedericaMog
held the cameras’ attention she failed to even once utter the words “human rights” or to urge badly needed improvements in the rule of law - inside one of the world’s most repressive dictatorships.
#Turkmenistan
"The EU will open its 142nd Delegation in the world and will complete its diplomatic presence in Central Asia opening a fully-fledged EU Delegation here in
#Ashgaba
". 🇹🇲🇪🇺 Watch
@FedericaMog
's full intervention 👇
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I wrote this tribute to my friend, one of
#Uzbekistan
's Champion Rights Defenders, Surat Ikramov who died on May 3. Please read and share. Thanks to
@BrucePannier
for making this happen!
@sarahkendzior
@astroehlein
@pstronski
@Navbahor
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While many posters held up by ordinary folks at the
#Belarus
protests this week have been inspiring, brilliant, funny I particularly love this one from today in
#Minsk
. Reads:
@elonmusk
, take
#Lukashenko
to Mars!
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Getting amazing news from Uzbekistan-About 1 hour ago prison authorities released human rights defender
#GanihonMamatkhanov
after 8 long yrs
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I want to say a few words on the loss of my true friend & a giant of Uzbekistan’s
#humanrights
community-Surat Ikramov-who died on May 3 in Tashkent at age 77. (THREAD)
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This horrific case shines a light on the terrible gaps in
#Uzbekistan
’s broken justice system, highlighting the URGENT need for systemic reforms
#FreeKadyrYusupov
via
@eurasianet
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BREAKING:
#Uzbekistan
's Gen. Prosecutor announces
#GulnaraKarimova
charged with several crimes, including fraud, & officially under arrest.
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Terrible news today from
#Tajikistan
: Authorities pull 10 yr-old
#FatimaDavlyatova
off her airplane, preventing her from leaving
#Tajikistan
to reunite w/ her mother
@khudoidodova
, an activist, who lives in Europe. Fatima & family told they are "under supervision."
#FreeFatima
!
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For quarter century a single ruler and single party ruled
#Uzbekistan
with iron fist, employing a vast security apparatus that would arrest anyone who expressed critical views. Torture was instrument of state policy. If this is not autocratic, I'm not sure what is.
#Uzbekistan
is a country ruled by a cohesive elite; not an autocratic regime that mainstream media depicts as. - Ambassador John Herbst,
@AtlanticCouncil
speaking
@CACI_SilkRoad
@MiddleEastInst
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Good news from
#Uzbekistan
: After 8yrs of unjust imprisonment,
#DiloromAbdukodirova
is FREE. 1 of hundreds of ppl who fled
#Uzb
after 2005
#Andijan
massacre, authorities arrested her in
#Tashkent
after she returned from Australia to see her kids in 2010
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“Men are worried,” said
@SiranushSargsy1
... “Every man. All they have is the fear that they will be checked [at the border]. They know that there is some kind of list, they want to kidnap them or arrest them, and every man has this fear.”
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