Kyrgyzstan: Uzbeks Cry Foul
February 01, 2006
by EurasiaNet (www.eurasianet.org)
Transitions Online (www.tol.cz), 30 January 2006
Nationalist rhetoric, economic disputes, and corruption are
contributing to unease among Kyrgyzstan's largest ethnic minority.
Ethnic Uzbeks in Kyrgyzstan are growing restive, and community leaders
voice complaints about rising discrimination. Members of President
Kurmanbek Bakiev??Ts administration have remained largely silent on
inter-ethnic issues, but local Kyrgyz officials have downplayed the
complaints.
Uzbek community representatives, meeting at a conference in the
southern Kyrgyz city of Jalal-Abad on 8 January, endorsed a statement
that criticized rising corruption and discrimination, and appealed to
Bakiev to adopt ??sa clear policy stance??t on minority rights.
"We remain targets of a campaign of harassment launched by fiscal
bodies, law-enforcement agencies, and executive power structures that
live on the taxes we pay," the document stated, according to a
translation published by the Ferghana.ru website.
"There is among representatives of the titular nation a tendency of
incitement of hatred with regard to Uzbeks and other ethnic groups,??t
the document continued. "Economic development and prosperity are
impossible without equal terms and opportunities for all ethnic
groups."
Comprising roughly 13 percent of Kyrgyzstan??Ts overall population of 5
million, Uzbeks are the country??Ts largest ethnic minority group. Most
Uzbeks live in the southern provinces of Osh and Jalal-Abad. In recent
years, Uzbeks have agitated for broader civil rights, seeking, for
example, the designation of Uzbek as an official language of
Kyrgyzstan. They have also called for greater Uzbek representation in
the judiciary and law-enforcement agencies, and for greater state
support of Uzbek-language cultural activities and education.
The increasing view among Uzbeks is that the March 2005 revolution that
ousted former President Askar Akaev and installed Bakiev was not a
beneficial development for their community. Akaev, during the last
years of his administration, courted Uzbek support by espousing a
policy called ??sKyrgyzstan is our common house.??t Uzbeks also used
the Assembly of Peoples of Kyrgyzstan, a formal association of ethnic
minorities established by Akaev, to represent their interests. Uzbek
leaders say that Bakiev has shown little interest in continuing the
Akaev line on inter-ethnic relations, noting that the Assembly has lost
much of its influence.
Uzbeks have been alarmed by the nationalist rhetoric employed by Bakiev
administration officials. The government??Ts inability to curb
corruption is also a source of concern. ??sUzbeks traditionally play a
prominent role in the business sector, especially in the south. The
rise in corruption has affected this sector the most," said an
Osh-based political analyst, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Some observers believe Uzbek complaints about discrimination are
related to a wide-ranging struggle over economic assets unleashed by
the March revolution. The redistribution of property and resources has
occasionally turned violent, underscored by the assassination in
September 2005 of Bayaman Erkinbaev, a prominent Osh-based entrepreneur
who at the time of his death was a member of parliament. ??sThe [Uzbek
business] elite is worried about expanding the redistribution of
property that started following last March. Many of them have a lot of
property and [business] interests. They are using discrimination
rhetoric [in an attempt] to safeguard their property,??t one observer
said. Kadyrjan Batyrov ??" a Jalal-Abad??"based entrepreneur with wide
holdings who is also a prominent Uzbek community leader in the region
??" is believed by some analysts to be a central figure in the
discrimination complaints. Aibek Akbarov, first deputy governor of
Jalal-Abad and a participant at the Uzbek annual conference, told
journalists that Batyrov exerted influence over 100 of the 150 meeting
participants. Jalal-Abad Governor Zhusup Zheenbekov, meanwhile, claimed
that Batyrov was fomenting ethnic discontent after failing to receive
government permission to obtain a lucrative land parcel in the center
of the provincial capital. ??sWe cannot distribute land plots in the
center to whichever person requests them,??t the governor said.
Other observers contend that Uzbek discontent is linked primarily to a
breakdown of informal channels of communication among Kyrgyz government
officials and Uzbek community leaders. Some Uzbek leaders maintained
close personal ties to Akaev. Following the March revolution, however,
no Uzbek leader has a strong relationship with Bakiev. Anvar Artykov,
an ethnic Uzbek who was Bakiev??Ts ally during the revolution, was
dismissed in early December as the governor of Osh.
Another factor influencing Uzbek actions is an internal power struggle.
Many of those recognized as community leaders during the Akaev
administration are now facing challenges from influential
entrepreneurs, such as Batyrov. For example, in August 2005, Muhamedjan
Mamasaidov, a prominent Uzbek leader and Akaev supporter, was forced
out as head of the Republican Uzbek National Association.
Regardless of the motivations behind the complaints, it appears
unlikely that Bakiev will respond in a way that satisfies Uzbek
leaders. According to a former Kyrgyz official who maintains ties to
the Bakiev administration, the president does not feel inclined to
adopt a forceful position on the inter-ethnic issue. "Bakiev is in a
tenuous position. He fears that open promotion of ethnic minority
rights may erode his support base among Kyrgyz nationalists," the
former official said.
Bakiev??Ts administration has become increasingly embattled in recent
months, amid burgeoning crime and corruption. The administration??Ts
inability to bring such adverse trends under control prompted
international observers to dub Kyrgyzstan a ??sfaltering state.??t The
influence of nationalists within the cabinet, including Deputy Prime
Minister Adahan Madumarov, seems to have grown as the government??Ts
difficulties have mounted.
While central officials have not responded to the Uzbek conference
statement, Zheenbekov, the Jalal-Abad governor, denied that Uzbeks have
experienced an erosion of their rights. ??sIt??Ts difficult to even
comprehend [the Uzbek conference statement],??t he said. "Neither
Uzbeks nor other nationalities were ever discriminated against in our
region.??t
The government??Ts reluctance to address the inter-ethnic issue could
destabilize southern Kyrgyzstan, some observers say. Several events in
recent weeks have revived concerns about the potential for inter-ethnic
clashes. In one incident, Kyrgyz women disrupted a meeting at the
mayor??Ts office in Jalal-Abad, allegedly threatening to carry out a
pogrom against Uzbeks. In making their threats, the women referred to
1990 inter-ethnic rioting in Osh that left dozens dead.
Another troubling episode occurred on 12 January, near the Uzbek
exclave of Sokh, which is surrounded by Kyrgyzstan??Ts Batken province.
Robert Avazbekov, a representative of the Foundation for Tolerance
International, said Uzbeks reportedly beat up two Kyrgyz citizens. The
next day roughly 150 residents of the Kyrgyz village of Sogment
gathered, intending to retaliate. A potentially more serious incident
was averted largely through the foundation??Ts mediation efforts.
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