Murder in Samarkand
Encyclopedia
Murder in Samarkand is a non-fiction book by British activist and former ambassador to Uzbekistan
, Craig Murray
. The book forms an account of Murray's controversial ambassadorship at the UK embassy in Tashkent
in 2002–04. The tale explains how Murray sacrificed his diplomatic career to speak out against the Karimov administration's suppression of human rights
and British double standards over torture in Iraq
.
. Their forced removal, Murray has stated is the government "trying to claw back the very limited gains in Freedom of Information
in the UK", especially attempts to close websites on which the supporting documents were posted instead. Though many attempts to do this have proved successful, media interest has also meant that the documents frequently re-surface on mirror sites.
guide to Central Asia by Bradley Mayhew, Paul Clammer
and Michael Kohn
. Neither shows Samarkand
. The rear cover of Murder in Samarkand uses the same photo of Bukhara
that was the guide book's cover photo. Murray's front cover uses a sunset scene that had appeared on page 7 of the guide (and shows Khiva
). There were no copyright issues in this case as both photos were licensed through Getty Images
. Murray has stated he did not choose the cover and does not like its "masculine" appearance.
. Michael Winterbottom
was attached to direct and actor Steve Coogan
to play Murray. After disagreements over the script, Paramount passed on the project, their rights meaning no one else could produce Hare's script. Another movie script based on the book is being developed by screenwriter Don Macpherson. Julien Temple is now the director and Baby Cow the production company.
convinced them to release the audio rights to the script, and rewrote it as a radio play. The radio play of Murder in Samarkand was broadcast on 20 February 2010 on BBC Radio 4
, starring David Tennant
as Murray. The play was nominated for best drama at the Sony Radio Academy Awards
2011.
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....
, Craig Murray
Craig Murray
Craig John Murray is a British political activist, former ambassador to Uzbekistan and former Rector of the University of Dundee....
. The book forms an account of Murray's controversial ambassadorship at the UK embassy in Tashkent
Tashkent
Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and of the Tashkent Province. The officially registered population of the city in 2008 was about 2.2 million. Unofficial sources estimate the actual population may be as much as 4.45 million.-Early Islamic History:...
in 2002–04. The tale explains how Murray sacrificed his diplomatic career to speak out against the Karimov administration's suppression of human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
and British double standards over torture in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
Publishing difficulties
The book was originally published by Mainstream (Edinburgh) in 2006 but only after several battles. Before its publication, many potential readers had been contacted through Internet posts and e-mail listings to raise interest and by creating a body of public opinion, to guard against the publisher being 'bullied' out of printing the book by government pressure. These communications also mentioned how supporting government documents which were originally planned for inclusion had been forcibly removed because of 'copyright' worries. This, despite Murray's claims that many had received a formal release and thus should have been within the public domainPublic domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
. Their forced removal, Murray has stated is the government "trying to claw back the very limited gains in Freedom of Information
Freedom of information
Freedom of information refers to the protection of the right to freedom of expression with regards to the Internet and information technology . Freedom of information may also concern censorship in an information technology context, i.e...
in the UK", especially attempts to close websites on which the supporting documents were posted instead. Though many attempts to do this have proved successful, media interest has also meant that the documents frequently re-surface on mirror sites.
Cover controversy
A minor controversy involved the choice of photographs on the 2007 paperback edition, two of the three photos having been the same as those previously appearing in the 2004 Lonely PlanetLonely Planet
Lonely Planet is the largest travel guide book and digital media publisher in the world. The company is owned by BBC Worldwide, which bought a 75% share from the founders Maureen and Tony Wheeler in 2007 and the final 25% in February 2011...
guide to Central Asia by Bradley Mayhew, Paul Clammer
Paul Clammer
Paul Clammer is an English travel writer best known for books on challenging destinations including Sudan and Afghanistan. Clammer is the co-author of several guide books for Lonely Planet and the founder of Kabul Caravan, a highly respected website focussing on helping travellers visit...
and Michael Kohn
Michael Kohn
Michael Thomas Kohn is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Kohn made his major league debut on July 26, 2010 against the Boston Red Sox at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.-External links:...
. Neither shows 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...
. The rear cover of Murder in Samarkand uses the same photo of Bukhara
Bukhara
Bukhara , from the Soghdian βuxārak , is the capital of the Bukhara Province of Uzbekistan. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 263,400 . The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time...
that was the guide book's cover photo. Murray's front cover uses a sunset scene that had appeared on page 7 of the guide (and shows Khiva
Khiva
Khiva is a city of approximately 50,000 people located in Xorazm Province, Uzbekistan. It is the former capital of Khwarezmia and the Khanate of Khiva...
). There were no copyright issues in this case as both photos were licensed through Getty Images
Getty Images
Getty Images, Inc. is a stock photo agency, based in Seattle, Washington, USA. It is a supplier of stock images for business and consumers with an archive of 80 million still images and illustrations and more than 50,000 hours of stock film footage...
. Murray has stated he did not choose the cover and does not like its "masculine" appearance.
Movie version
A movie version of the book is in development. Paramount bought the rights and developed a script written by David HareDavid Hare (dramatist)
Sir David Hare is an English playwright and theatre and film director.-Early life:Hare was born in St Leonards-on-Sea, Hastings, East Sussex, the son of Agnes and Clifford Hare, a sailor. He was educated at Lancing, an independent school in West Sussex, and at Jesus College, Cambridge...
. Michael Winterbottom
Michael Winterbottom
Michael Winterbottom is a prolific English filmmaker who has directed seventeen feature films in the past fifteen years. He began his career working in British television before moving into features...
was attached to direct and actor Steve Coogan
Steve Coogan
Stephen John "Steve" Coogan is a British comedian, actor, writer and producer. Born in Manchester, he began his career as a standup comedian and impressionist, working as a voice artist throughout the 1980s on satirical puppet show Spitting Image. In the early nineties, Coogan began creating...
to play Murray. After disagreements over the script, Paramount passed on the project, their rights meaning no one else could produce Hare's script. Another movie script based on the book is being developed by screenwriter Don Macpherson. Julien Temple is now the director and Baby Cow the production company.
Radio play
Following Paramount's decision to pass on the film script, David HareDavid Hare (dramatist)
Sir David Hare is an English playwright and theatre and film director.-Early life:Hare was born in St Leonards-on-Sea, Hastings, East Sussex, the son of Agnes and Clifford Hare, a sailor. He was educated at Lancing, an independent school in West Sussex, and at Jesus College, Cambridge...
convinced them to release the audio rights to the script, and rewrote it as a radio play. The radio play of Murder in Samarkand was broadcast on 20 February 2010 on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
, starring David Tennant
David Tennant
David Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr...
as Murray. The play was nominated for best drama at the Sony Radio Academy Awards
Sony Radio Academy Awards
The Sony Radio Academy Awards , started in 1983, are some of the most prestigious awards in the British radio industry. They are run by ZAFER Associates in association with the Radio Academy...
2011.
External links
- Murder in Samarkand, by Craig Murray: Tashkent tales of terror and tippling, The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, 11 August 2006