UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Critical of Uzbek Government
In a speech to University of World Economy and Diplomacy students in Uzbekistan earlier today, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon issued a strong statement to the country’s leadership. Just one of many stops in Central Asia, Ban said of the international human rights commitments to which Uzbekistan is a signatory,
It is time to deliver, time to put them fully into practice.
Reports the Associated Press, Ban issued the same statements directly to President Islam Karimov, whose authoritarian regime has led the country since 1991. Karimov, according to an anonymous UN official, resented the announcement but reportedly heard the message “loud and clear.”
While there was no specific mention of the bloody 2005 events in Andijan, the trip comes two weeks after the release of a UN Human Rights Committee report urging deeper investigation. The Uzbek government maintains that death tolls estimated by observers are exaggerated.
Among regional experts, there is a fear that the instability in country will facilitate higher levels of extremism in the region, perhaps “boil[ing] over” into China or Russia. Said the Secretary General,
It is important that Uzbekistan act upon these recommendations as soon as possible so that civil society may flourish, so that your people can enjoy the benefits in their daily lives.
Other independent organizations, such as the Human Rights Council, have made arguments in favor of placing UN officials and independent experts on the ground in Uzbekistan.
