Galima Bukharbaeva
Encyclopedia
Galima Bukharbaeva is an Uzbek journalist known for her reporting on state authoritarianism and her eyewitness account of the 2005 Andijan massacre
.
(IWPR). With these agencies, Bukharbaeva covered topics including repression of Islamic activists, police torture, and state sponsorship of harassment and violence against human rights activists and journalists.
Her stories on these topics proved unwelcome to the Uzbek government, which soon attempted to restrict her ability to report. In 2002, the government refused to renew her accreditation with the IWPR, and in 2003, her AFP accreditation renewal was also refused. She continued to work at the IWPR nonetheless, becoming its country director for Uzbekistan. According to Bukharbaeva, the organization's office remained under surveillance by an unmarked government car throughout most of 2004 and 2005.
In May 2005, the city of Andijan
saw several weeks of protests over the controversial trials of 23 businessmen accused of Islamic extremism
. Following weeks of peaceful demonstrations, a group of masked gunmen attacked the jail where the men were being held on the night of 12 May, freeing them as well as protesters who had been arrested the day before. On 13 May, tens of thousands of protesters blockaded the roads, taking control of the city center. A small percentage of them were armed. Bukharbaeva spent the day reporting live from Bobur Square
for CNN
, BBC News
, and other international agencies.
At 1800 local time, security forces massed for an assault, and soldiers began firing on the crowd of protesters from armored personnel carriers. Bukharbaeva later described the massacre in a story for the Committee to Protect Journalists
:
When Bukharbaeva reached safety, she discovered that a bullet had passed through her backpack, leaving a hole in her press card and her Che Guevara
notebook.
Bukharbaeva subsequently conducted interviews with other eyewitnesses, who confirmed that soldiers were executing the injured who had been unable to flee the Square. The bodies of women and children were reportedly being removed from public view and concealed by authorities. The following morning, she attempted to return to the square with Reuters
correspondent Shamil Baygin. However, they were intercepted by armed men who took them to the local police station. After two hours, Bukharbaeva and Baygin were released with an order to leave the city.
On 25 May, twelve days after the massacre, the government newspaper Pravda Vostoka
accused Bukharbaeva and IPWR of instigating the Andijan violence. The article recommended that their pictures be shown on television "to warn citizens against them". Amnesty International
subsequently issued an appeal on behalf of Bukharbaeva, Baygin, and numerous other journalists. In September, the government formally charged Bukharbaeva and other journalists who had reported on the massacre with providing "informational support to terrorism".
, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, where she was received as a hero by the opposition community. However, she soon moved on to the US for fear that Uzbek security forces might attempt to kidnap her and return her to Uzbekistan for a show trial. She then received a Fulbright Award
to pursue a Master's in journalism at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
. While in the US, she also testified before the Helsinki Commission
of the US Congress about her experiences on the day of the massacre. In 2008, three years after Andijan, she wrote an editorial in the New York Times accusing Western nations of having already forgotten the massacre by beginning to normalize relations with Uzbekistan.
Bukharbaeva currently works as the editor-in-chief for the Uzbek news website uznews.net. As of 2010, the website had been blocked within Uzbekistan by state authorities for several year. In 2007, she also served as a founder and chairwoman of the Real Union of Journalists of Uzbekistan.
of the Committee to Protect Journalists. The award citation recognized the dangers she faced in her reporting and stated that she had earned "a reputation as one of Central Asia's most outspoken journalists". In 2011, Newsweek
recognized her as "one of ten female journalists that risked their lives" in pursuit of a story, stating that "her reporting on Uzbekistan's authoritarianism led to her being denounced as a traitor".
, who works for the Swiss daily newspaper Neue Zurcher Zeitung
. Bensmann, Bukharbaeva's boyfriend at the time, was also present at the Andijan massacre and was also subsequently labeled a terrorist by the Uzbek government. They currently live in Dusseldorf
, Germany.
Andijan massacre
The Andijan massacre occurred when Uzbek Interior Ministry and National Security Service troops fired into a crowd of protesters in Andijan, Uzbekistan on 13 May 2005. Estimates of those killed on 13 May range from between 187, the official count of the government, and 5,000 people, with most...
.
Early career
Bukharbaeva began her career reporting for the France-base Agence France Presse (AFP) and the London-based Institute for War and Peace ReportingInstitute for War and Peace Reporting
Institute for War & Peace Reporting is an international media development charity, established in 1991. It runs major programmes in Afghanistan, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Iran, Iraq, the Balkans, Congo DRC, Tunisia and Uganda...
(IWPR). With these agencies, Bukharbaeva covered topics including repression of Islamic activists, police torture, and state sponsorship of harassment and violence against human rights activists and journalists.
Her stories on these topics proved unwelcome to the Uzbek government, which soon attempted to restrict her ability to report. In 2002, the government refused to renew her accreditation with the IWPR, and in 2003, her AFP accreditation renewal was also refused. She continued to work at the IWPR nonetheless, becoming its country director for Uzbekistan. According to Bukharbaeva, the organization's office remained under surveillance by an unmarked government car throughout most of 2004 and 2005.
Andijan Massacre and aftermath
Andijan
Andijan or Andizhan is the fourth-largest city in Uzbekistan, and the capital of the Andijan Province. It is located in the east of the country, at , in the Fergana Valley, near the border with Kyrgyzstan on the Andijan-Say River...
saw several weeks of protests over the controversial trials of 23 businessmen accused of Islamic extremism
Islamic extremism
Islamic extremism refers to two related and partially overlapping but also distinct aspects of extremist interpretations and pursuits of Islamic ideology:...
. Following weeks of peaceful demonstrations, a group of masked gunmen attacked the jail where the men were being held on the night of 12 May, freeing them as well as protesters who had been arrested the day before. On 13 May, tens of thousands of protesters blockaded the roads, taking control of the city center. A small percentage of them were armed. Bukharbaeva spent the day reporting live from Bobur Square
Bobur Square
Bobur Square is an area in the city of center of Andijan, Uzbekistan. On 13 May 2005, it was the site of the Andijan Massacre....
for CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, BBC News
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
, and other international agencies.
At 1800 local time, security forces massed for an assault, and soldiers began firing on the crowd of protesters from armored personnel carriers. Bukharbaeva later described the massacre in a story for the Committee to Protect Journalists
Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent nonprofit organisation based in New York City that promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journalists.-History:A group of U.S...
:
Without warning, the soldiers opened fire into the crowd. Bodies fell like mown hay, row upon row. People in the center of the square ran in all directions, but soldiers had blocked off side streets. A helicopter clattered overhead, pointing out those trying to escape to the troops below. I don't know how I escaped. I just ran. "They think we are just dirt," a woman cried to me.
When Bukharbaeva reached safety, she discovered that a bullet had passed through her backpack, leaving a hole in her press card and her Che Guevara
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
notebook.
Bukharbaeva subsequently conducted interviews with other eyewitnesses, who confirmed that soldiers were executing the injured who had been unable to flee the Square. The bodies of women and children were reportedly being removed from public view and concealed by authorities. The following morning, she attempted to return to the square with Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
correspondent Shamil Baygin. However, they were intercepted by armed men who took them to the local police station. After two hours, Bukharbaeva and Baygin were released with an order to leave the city.
On 25 May, twelve days after the massacre, the government newspaper Pravda Vostoka
Pravda Vostoka
Pravda Vostoka is a Russian language newspaper published in Uzbekistan. The paper was founded in 1917 under the name Nasha gazeta . It received its current name in 1924, and was the main Russian language newspaper of the Uzbek SSR. It had a print run of 250.000 newspapers....
accused Bukharbaeva and IPWR of instigating the Andijan violence. The article recommended that their pictures be shown on television "to warn citizens against them". Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
subsequently issued an appeal on behalf of Bukharbaeva, Baygin, and numerous other journalists. In September, the government formally charged Bukharbaeva and other journalists who had reported on the massacre with providing "informational support to terrorism".
Exile
Bukharbaeva then spent some time in Kyrgyzstan, first in a refugee camp and later in BishkekBishkek
Bishkek , formerly Pishpek and Frunze, is the capital and the largest city of Kyrgyzstan.Bishkek is also the administrative centre of Chuy Province which surrounds the city, even though the city itself is not part of the province but rather a province-level unit of Kyrgyzstan.The name is thought to...
, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, where she was received as a hero by the opposition community. However, she soon moved on to the US for fear that Uzbek security forces might attempt to kidnap her and return her to Uzbekistan for a show trial. She then received a Fulbright Award
Fulbright Award
The Fulbright Award is a scholarship awarded as part of the Fulbright Program to foster international research and collaboration. The program also awards a fellowship to Ph.D.'s to lecture and teach in foreign universities...
to pursue a Master's in journalism at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is one of Columbia's graduate and professional schools. It offers three degree programs: Master of Science in journalism , Master of Arts in journalism and a Ph.D. in communications...
. While in the US, she also testified before the Helsinki Commission
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe , also known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission, is an independent U.S. Government agency created by Congress in 1976 to monitor and encourage compliance with the Helsinki Final Act and other OSCE commitments. It was established in 1976 pursuant to...
of the US Congress about her experiences on the day of the massacre. In 2008, three years after Andijan, she wrote an editorial in the New York Times accusing Western nations of having already forgotten the massacre by beginning to normalize relations with Uzbekistan.
Bukharbaeva currently works as the editor-in-chief for the Uzbek news website uznews.net. As of 2010, the website had been blocked within Uzbekistan by state authorities for several year. In 2007, she also served as a founder and chairwoman of the Real Union of Journalists of Uzbekistan.
Recognition
In 2005, Bukharbaeva won the International Press Freedom AwardCPJ International Press Freedom Awards
The CPJ International Press Freedom Awards honour journalists around the world who show courage in defending press freedom in the face of attacks, threats or imprisonment. Created in 1991, the awards are administered by the Committee to Protect Journalists....
of the Committee to Protect Journalists. The award citation recognized the dangers she faced in her reporting and stated that she had earned "a reputation as one of Central Asia's most outspoken journalists". In 2011, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
recognized her as "one of ten female journalists that risked their lives" in pursuit of a story, stating that "her reporting on Uzbekistan's authoritarianism led to her being denounced as a traitor".
Personal life
Bukharbaeva is married to a German journalist, Marcus BensmannMarcus Bensmann
Marcus Bensmann is a German journalist noted for his eyewitness coverage of the 2005 Andijan Massacre in Uzbekistan. For his coverage, he was subsequently charged with providing "informational support to terrorism" and forced to leave the country that had long been his primary "beat".Bensmann has...
, who works for the Swiss daily newspaper Neue Zurcher Zeitung
Neue Zürcher Zeitung
The Neue Zürcher Zeitung is a major German language Swiss daily newspaper based in Zurich.One of the oldest newspapers still published, it originally appeared as Zürcher Zeitung, edited by Salomon Gessner, from January 12, 1780, and was renamed to Neue Zürcher Zeitung in 1821...
. Bensmann, Bukharbaeva's boyfriend at the time, was also present at the Andijan massacre and was also subsequently labeled a terrorist by the Uzbek government. They currently live in Dusseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, Germany.