Jamshid Karimov
Encyclopedia
Jamshid Karimov is a prominent journalist in Uzbekistan
. His uncle is current President
Islam Karimov. His whereabouts are unknown, but he was last seen in Jizzakh
on 12 September 2006 before he went to visit his mother in a hospital.
Uzbek government officials refuse to comment on Karimov's disappearance. Friends and relatives say his arrest was motivated by his criticism of the Karimov administration.
According to Radio Free Europe
, in 2004, Karimov was "beaten up on the streets of Jizzakh... by unidentified assailants."
, Karimov's friends discovered he had been committed to a psychiatric hospital in Samarkand
, but his wife is not allowed to visit him. Loubet del Bayle of RWB said, "It is unacceptable that the authorities do not tell the families why they were arrested and their current condition.he was an really true man he also was a brave man"
On 20 September 2006, Marat Khalturdiev, the head of the National Security Service's regional branch, described Karimov's disappearance as "a private affair" and said nothing more. Uznews.net quoted "sources close to Jamshid Karimov's family" on 25 September as saying the journalist had reportedly been sent to a psychiatric hospital in Samarkand. Elin Jonsson, a freelance Swedish journalist who specializes in Central Asia
n affairs, who knew both Karimov and Khaidarovs, said that earlier in the year they had told her they were worried about their safety, and that they were going to try to get a visa for Sweden
. She said the last time she had "received a letter from them was in late July. I think it was July 28. They were telling me they had received information that Ulugbek would be arrested and that Jamshid would be sent to a psychiatric hospital, or a similar kind of closed institution. [Jamshid and Ulugbek] were almost the last remaining free journalists working in Uzbekistan. They have been writing openly about things they witnessed following the Andijon events
. They both critically reported on what the governor of Jizzakh said [to justify] the Andijon [crackdown]. They received threats. They were told to stop writing. They were even offered money and asked to switch sides, to write more 'positive' articles. But they refused." Both men were reporting for ferghana.ru website and the Institute for War and Peace Reporting
.
The Committee to Protect Journalists
called on the government to release Karimov and Khaidarov immediately and end harassment of their families. CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon said in a statement on 26 September, "We're shocked at the brutal methods used against these two journalists, including psychiatric detention, a hallmark of Soviet repression. If President Karimov is treating his own nephew in this manner, it's hard to imagine how others might fare."
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
. His uncle is current President
President of Uzbekistan
President of the Republic of Uzbekistan is the Head of State and executive authority in the Republic of Uzbekistan. The office of President was established in 1991 replacing the position of First secretary of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan that has existed since 1925 while the country was known...
Islam Karimov. His whereabouts are unknown, but he was last seen in Jizzakh
Jizzakh
Jizzakh is a city and the center of Jizzakh Province in Uzbekistan, northeast of Samarkand.Jizzakh was an important Silk Road junction on the road connecting Samarkand with Fergana Valley...
on 12 September 2006 before he went to visit his mother in a hospital.
Uzbek government officials refuse to comment on Karimov's disappearance. Friends and relatives say his arrest was motivated by his criticism of the Karimov administration.
According to Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a broadcaster funded by the U.S. Congress that provides news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East "where the free flow of information is either banned by government authorities or not fully developed"...
, in 2004, Karimov was "beaten up on the streets of Jizzakh... by unidentified assailants."
Family
His father, Arsalan, died in a car crash in 1989. His mother, Margarita, told Radio Free Europe's Uzbek Service that at one point Karimov visited her "at the hospital and the director made a scene. Jamshid was worrying more and more of late. He was telling me: 'Things will blow up, they will put handcuffs on me.' you will die hes mom sad to him.' I was telling him. 'You criticized the authorities a little bit, so what? Don't worry, things will settle down.' But things didn't settle down, quite the contrary. They took everything from us, even the money. Now I live in poverty." According to Reporters Without BordersReporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud. Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008...
, Karimov's friends discovered he had been committed to a psychiatric hospital in Samarkand
Samarkand
Although a Persian-speaking region, it was not united politically with Iran most of the times between the disintegration of the Seleucid Empire and the Arab conquest . In the 6th century it was within the domain of the Turkic kingdom of the Göktürks.At the start of the 8th century Samarkand came...
, but his wife is not allowed to visit him. Loubet del Bayle of RWB said, "It is unacceptable that the authorities do not tell the families why they were arrested and their current condition.he was an really true man he also was a brave man"
Disappearance
Karimov went to visit his mother on 12 September. His brother Alisher said he "never returned home." On 14 September Ulugbek Khaidarov, Karimov's friend and fellow journalist, was arrested in Jizzakh on charges of extortion. Khaidarov's sister Nortoji said her brother was framed.On 20 September 2006, Marat Khalturdiev, the head of the National Security Service's regional branch, described Karimov's disappearance as "a private affair" and said nothing more. Uznews.net quoted "sources close to Jamshid Karimov's family" on 25 September as saying the journalist had reportedly been sent to a psychiatric hospital in Samarkand. Elin Jonsson, a freelance Swedish journalist who specializes in Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
n affairs, who knew both Karimov and Khaidarovs, said that earlier in the year they had told her they were worried about their safety, and that they were going to try to get a visa for Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. She said the last time she had "received a letter from them was in late July. I think it was July 28. They were telling me they had received information that Ulugbek would be arrested and that Jamshid would be sent to a psychiatric hospital, or a similar kind of closed institution. [Jamshid and Ulugbek] were almost the last remaining free journalists working in Uzbekistan. They have been writing openly about things they witnessed following the Andijon events
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...
. They both critically reported on what the governor of Jizzakh said [to justify] the Andijon [crackdown]. They received threats. They were told to stop writing. They were even offered money and asked to switch sides, to write more 'positive' articles. But they refused." Both men were reporting for ferghana.ru website and the Institute for War and Peace Reporting
Institute 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...
.
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...
called on the government to release Karimov and Khaidarov immediately and end harassment of their families. CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon said in a statement on 26 September, "We're shocked at the brutal methods used against these two journalists, including psychiatric detention, a hallmark of Soviet repression. If President Karimov is treating his own nephew in this manner, it's hard to imagine how others might fare."