Mikel and Nina Malyshev were deported back to Uzbekistan on Friday evening. At 6am Saturday morning they telephoned relatives and said that they were met in Tashkent at the plane steps by a representative of the British Embassy, who escorted them from the airport, bypassing passport control and security checks. They were about to be put on a bus to their former home in Zarafshan.
But they never arrived in Zarafshan and there has been no word of them since. The British Embassy say categorically they did not send any representative to meet the plane. That fake British Embassy representative was almost certainly from the Uzbek security services.
I gave written evidence to their asylum appeal stating that any returned asylum seeker would be picked up by the security services at the airport and be in extreme danger. The Home Office told the court this was not true and there were no human rights problems in Uzbekistan. The court accepted the Home Office view.
Having callously deported the Malyshevs to join the lists of the “disappeared” in Uzbekistan, the British government now repudiates any further interest in their fate. The British Embassy in Tashkent has told their relatives in Wales that they are Uzbeks in Uzbekistan and not their responsibility.
The truth is the British government knew perfectly well what would happen to the Malyshevs, and was lying to the court in saying that this would not happen. The coldblooded brutality of the government’s behaviour is stunning. President Karimov’s support for NATO operations in Afghanistan is placed at a far higher value than human life.
Oh dear. This is dreadful. Horrendous, shocking.
This the the human cost of bureaucracy and intransigence and, as you suggest, Craig, of our govt washing its hands of human life in pursuance of strategic goals to service the elites.
It would be extreme stupidity of Uzbek authorities to kidnap Malyshevs in this way. Although their case was made public and this for certain angered Uzbek authorities but in any case taking them like this is act of extreme if not brutal stupidity. My guess is (and this is only guess) that they will be questioned by SNB as why they have tried to claim asylum and persuaded that it was a huge mistake and that they have been misguided by Craig Murray or someone else who advised them to claim asylum and (hopefully) will be let go. But no one can be certain of this.
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As British government and Court guaranteed that there is no breach of Human Rights and that Malyshevs will be perfectly safe back in Uzbekistan should not now FCO at least question Uzbek Embassy in London with regards to Malyshevs whereabouts? Or should not at least British Embassy in Uzbekistan ask simple question as who picked up Malyshevs from airport in Tashkent by stating (falsely as it turned out) that they were from British Embassy?
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It was so obvious that by sending Malyshevs back to Uzbekistan British authorities will wash their hands off any responsibility. There is no legal means that British authority (even if they wanted) can pursue in order to guarantee Malyshevs freedom. They are after all Uzbek citizens and under responsibility of Uzbek authority.
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Can this once and for all serve as certain assurance (to UKBA and British Legal system) that once asylum seekers returned to Uzbekistan there is NO and repeat ABSOLUTELY NO guarantee of their safety.
All very depressing. Thank you for continuing to highlight cases such as this one.
Craig, my heart aches for this couple. There really was nothing more we could do right up to the last minute, though many on this blog tried. I will write to express my disgust. It is very sad that this happened despite your warnings.
UzbekinUK,
Really hard to say what they will do – as you know, the Uzbek authorities are capricious and often don’t react as we will think. But they do act badly in high profile cases – Maxim Popov a good example.
Bastards! London College of Fasion and Shirin Akiner from SOAS are all in Tashkent these days promoting the fasion and design project of Gulnara Karimova whose father is destroying people for not wanting to return to Uzbekistan.
There were bastards at both ends of this deportation
AntiDespot,
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Agree with you wholeheartedly. Lets not forget that Shirin Akiner was the only few of western academics who after the Andijan tragedy back in 2005 stated on TV and elsewhere that Uzbek authorities did not exceeded use of force and acted only against terrorists. After all these she was allowed to stay in SOAS and is now being on Uzbek regime pay check (I presume).
Mr Murray,
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As I stated it was my guess only. Of course no one can guarantee Malyshevs safety at present. Uzbek authorities are very brutal and putting Malyshevs case before public eyes it has turned it to high profile case now with all possible complications.
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Is there anything that can be done via British authorities? I know that options are now very limited if any but certainly Uzbek authorities will not harm Malyshevs if they feel that their well being is at least being a concern of anyone except voiceless and right less Uzbek citizens. Does FCO, UKBA, British Justice system and ECHR bear any responsibility of their actions? Can anything be done via other embassies in Uzbekistan?
Damn and blast. I wonder if there would be any benefit in continuing to press this case with our representatives, in the hope that it will be followed up with the Uzbek authorities? At least the Uzbek government should know the Mayshevs have not been forgotten, and that we await news on their welfare.
Uzbek,
Karimov is again America’s son of a bitch. Clinton and Karimov have been highly optimistic about future relationship in recent meetings, and Karimov did certainly receive some guarantees from the Big Brother for exchange of airbase.So, he does not care now about other european embassies opinion, including british one, which, unfortunately, has become the uzbek regime’s puddle in Tashkent.
oops, poodle, I meant
Mr Murray,
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Have you received any response from ECHR? Have they acted on the claim? If not you should probably update them on what is happening to Malyshevs now and that no one from British authorities who sent Malyshevs back to Uzbekistan assuring them that they will be safe there is now bearing any responsibility of their kidnapping.
I have sent the following email:
Dear Public Correspondence Team, UKBA
Despite my efforts, and the efforts of many others, to save the Malyshevs from deportation because of the fate they were likely to suffer when they got to Uzbekistan they were deported regardless and have since disappeared. http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2011/10/malyshevs-disappeared/#comment-325483
Your office should be familiar with Craig Murray’s writings on the nature of the Uzbekistan dictatorship. To my mind it is similar to Tony Blair sending one of the National Transitional Council’s rebels to face imprisonment and torture in Libya, for which he now intends to sue the British government, that is, if he didn’t suffer the same fate as Gaddafi. Although I wrote pleading for the Malyshevs to Theresa May and William Hague, you answered on their behalf. Would you be good enough to pass this message on to them. This to my mind is playing with people’s lives. You can note this in my file too.
Your sincerely,
John Goss
Mr Ness,
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I agree with you on this. But even for US it will be quite complicated to have friendship with the government that openly kidnaps its own citizens who were returned under their protection. US might close their eyes on oppression in Uzbekistan in general but in certain (lucky) cases US pressurise Uzbek authorities to have some mercy. As I doubt that Malyshevs have been involved in any antigovernment activities and that of their age and the fact that their case was made public to a very minority of Uzbeks (for most Uzbeks Mr Murray’s web blog is inaccessible) I presume that if some even western embassies will ask questions about Malyshevs Uzbek authorities might let them go. That is only guess as no one can even presume what Uzbek authorities might do.
Would I be wrong in assuming that the interested party here was the US government, for whom there is no downside at all if the Malyshevs are treated badly?
The British government, whose interest in Afghanistan is simply to appease the US and ingratiate itself with neo-cons, is doing America’s dirty work and feeding human sacrifices to its master’s soul mate in Central Asia.
For the sake of the Malyshev’s shouldn’t eveyone be writing to their MP/Hague/Cameron insisting that they take take reprsentations to the Uzbek Govt immediately demanding the Malyshev’s safety. And a good kick up Hilary Clinton’s backside wouldn’t go amiss either. The Russian Embassy might also be asked to use to intervene to project them as ethnic Russians, especially given that they may well be more effective than the UK government.
Very sorry to hear this news.
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Clinton has just visited Karimov.
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[..]But she (Clinton) voiced concerns on his human rights record and urged him to make reforms. U.S. officials say Karimov, who has been accused of numerous rights abuses, pledged to make progress on democratization. […]
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Having a laugh aren’t they.
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Also here {http://tribune.com.pk/story/279960/us-pursues-alternative-supply-route-to-afghanistan/}
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http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/Clinton-Concludes-Tour-to-South-Central-Asia-132403168.html
Im sure you could get a 100,000 petition to get this debated in parliament?
“the British government [….] was lying to the court”
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And to add to the despond, that bloody court knew they were lying – how could they not, unless (worse) they didn’t want to know?
Can they be registered with Amnesty International? Would it help?
Rob, now they’ve disappeared their case could probably be taken up by Amnesty International. When I ‘phoned them it was before the Malyshevs were deported, and they needed to know who was legally representing the couple. I did not know and could not find out. If they were deported without legal representation I consider that to be against the long and honourable legal tradition of habeas corpus. However they apply different (that is racist) standards for non British nationals.
Those of you who got coherent responses did well. I got a very long email from IND Public Enquiries (ie the UKBA) saying:
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“Thank you for contacting the UK Border Agency.
The information in this message answers the most frequently asked questions.”
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and telling me all sorts of things about how to apply to extend my visa etc. They didn’t address any of my questions at all.
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What a fucking insult.
Comments above are an insult to bastards everywhere. This goes well beyond bastardy. Well, let’s do some digging.
An unbelievable and disappointing lack of care for life. But what can we expect from such a morally corrupt and care-free government (and society). We are digging a hole and one day we won’t be able to climb back out.
Craig’s original article was linked on a Guido Fawkes thread. See what the racists there have to say in response.
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http://order-order.com/2011/10/19/spooks-say-hancock-blonde-was-a-spook/#comment-1107131
This angers and saddens me that the British government can behave in such a way and in full knowledge of the facts, this government has a scant disregard for peoples lives and safety. I just hope that they have been taken for questioning and this is all.
What the hell were they doing in England anyway? It’s a long way from home. I don’t know their situation, but I have no doubt that they could have found another country to live in. Was it something to do with our freebie system for foreigners?
OMG, I need to leave Uz. I must go to…. England!!
TFS may well be right about the 100,000 petition to get a parliamentary discussion on this alarming deportation. Hague is going to have plenty of questions to answer on his support for the so called charity Atlantic Bridge and anything that adds to his workload and reputation is well worth the candle. I’ve just posted Craig’s Malyshev link to someone with more than 2000 friends. Let’s see what the response is, providing Facebook does not use its own profile restrictions to prevent its distribution.