This is a trailer for an extremely important documentary by Michael Andersen. The complicity of NATO and EU governments with the Karimov regime is one of the clearest glimpses of the evil motives that lurk behind the reasonable image that western politicians strive to portray. The complicity of the mainstream media in ignoring these facts is terrifying.
As NATO intensifies its logistical transit through Uzbekistan, as Britain increases training for the Uzbek military and secret services and looks to further arms sales, please bring this documentary to the attention of everyone you can, in any way that you can.
The appearance in the trailer of Pierre Morel, EU Special Representative for Central Asia, is noteworthy. He really is one of the nastiest men in Europe, with not even the slightest pretence of any concern for human rights except as a bureaucratic box to be ticked. What is the real interest of this arch European powercrat? You will hardly be surprised to hear it is Central Asia’s oil and gas.
One of the most important diplomatic developments in the last year – not mentioned anywhere in the lamestream media – has been the westward shift of the Government of Azerbaijan. Under hereditary President Aliev, son of Putin’s ex boss and mentor in the KGB, they had seemed the closest of Russia’s allies. But I noted a few months ago that remarkably on Syria they were voting with the U.S. and against Russia at the UN Security Council. Now they have agreed that an EU hydrocarbon pipeline can pass through their waters in the Caspian – thus negating Putin’s blocking move when he effectively annexed part of Georgia.
Germany now sees the eventual transit of Turkmenistan’s and Uzbekistan’s gas through Ukraine and Poland and into the Nordstream project, while bypassing Russia, as a tantalisingly close prospect. The furious courting of Central Asian dictators is therefore viewed as an unbounded success, and mangled corpses and tortured women an irrelevancy – along with the probable extinction of the sturgeon and other inconveniences. No wonder Morel looks self-satisfied.
I do hope the Central Asians who suffer grinding poverty and terrible repression will one day understand all this, and once they have their freedom will not forgive.
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Sure. He ends up so often alienating the most sincere & energetic of allies. Julian Assange as a person is, sad to say, a pretty repellent twerp. But a rapist warranting a global ‘red notice’ more usually reserved for terrorists and war criminals? He hasn’t even been charged. The facts just fail to fit.
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ABC Australia reveals at last much of the true nature of the Assange stitch-up. And why he’s now holed-up in a small room off Sloane Street.
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Why so long coming? This documentary puts the UK mass media, Guardian included, to shame:
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http://bit.ly/Q73gYk
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(see also extended interviews beneath main frame.)
Interviewer asks this > Pierre Morel “are you not worried that it looks like we have forgiven Karimov for this massacre?”
He replies “Do you think that rhetoric is helping the Andijan People?”
This production has a homepage and donations to make it available for free in Uzbek and Russian too.
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http://www.massacre-in-uzbekistan.com/
The scum like Karimov, and Aliev are the charge hands that the West would prefer to keep in power, for their obliging conduct. These thugs have low aspirations and clearly are easily bought with a few cars, and a little jet here or there, along with the promises of finding acceptance in the high society.
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The choice of the charge hands follows the same criteria as in the days of slavery; psychotic bastard who enjoy inflicting pain and misery on their charge, and sock up to the plantation owners. Further, given that press and Media is owned by the same bunch of oligarchs, non of the editors would dare to even hint at the massacres of the innocents in Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, or even Burma (remember Aung San Suu Kyi) in which there is a Muslim genocide going on and no one is hinting at this inconvenient fact.
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‘If the mainstream media leaves Wikileaks to hang, their own necks are at risk too.’
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NYT now in firing line. This from the Electronic Frontier Foundation:
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http://bit.ly/M5ZGw0
O/T
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Syria captured SAS men
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-178728/Syria-captured-SAS-men.html
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John Goss
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We knew this 6 months ago!
Some background on Michael Andersen. An interview with Ferghana.Ru
Michael Andersen: EU policy in Uzbekistan only a matter of geopolitical interests
13.05.2008
Daniil Kislov
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http://enews.fergananews.com/article.php?id=2376
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PS His clear blue eyes in the photo are amazing. They draw you in.
Mark Golding, the truth does emerge eventually, at least sometimes. The David Kelly cover-up has been going on for nearly ten years.
Craig, thanks VERY much or the nice posting about our trailers. I should add that YOU and your forthright criticism of the West’s close relations with Mr Karimov play a major role in the film. I would also like to stress that 22.000 people have already watched the trailers – within ONE week. An enourmous number for a ‘political’ film in Central Asia. I have received hundreds of emails from Uzbeks supporting our idea of TRANSLATING the film.
Please visit http://www.massacre-in-uzbekistan.com
PS: Mary, thanks for liking my bue eyes.
For a new interview on this film – http://www.eurasianet.org/node/65676 and
http://www.rferl.org/content/transmission-andijon-documentary-uzbekistan/24646809.html
Mark Golding – Children of Iraq Association
The article in mail is a very old article going back to the early days of Iraq war. Mail has this nasty feature of showing the date that is irrelevant to the article, beware of the pitfall.
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So far as the Syrian operation goes, I am sure you have noticed the introduction of the anti aircraft guns on the back of the vans, as of today’s broadcasts. This particular weapon’s use as has been the case in Libya, and before that in African wars for years.
Fedup, yes I’ve noticed that problem, and it’s not just the Mail.
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Michael Andersen, cannot wait for the release of this film, which deserves all the hits it is going to get. People are sick and fed up with the no news news that presents only what certain pressure-groups want you to see.
Yes thanks Fed-up; PressTV have that same habit sometimes and I hastily searched for the Daily Mail article they sight to back up their media story that refers to actual SAS commandos training opposition groups.
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http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/07/24/252536/british-army-trains-syria-militants/
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The information I received was ‘ex SAS’ working for British security companies as stated many times here which to me is believable and fits with known Libyan training and the SIS remit that lays in the shadowy realm as ‘The Increment’ or deniable covert actions.
Thanks for flagging up what looks from the trailer to be a candid documentary. The short clip of Pierre Morel further confirms my contempt for the bulk of the EU nomenklatura.
One minor quibble; shouldn’t this bit –
‘Germany now sees the eventual transit of Turkmenistan’s and Uzbekistan’s gas through Ukraine and Poland and into the Nordstream project, while bypassing Russia, as a tantalisingly close prospect. ‘
read-
‘The EU now sees the eventual transit of Turkmenistan’s and Uzbekistan’s gas through Ukraine and Poland, and NOT into the Nordstream project, THUS bypassing Russia, as a tantalisingly close prospect. ‘ ?
Michael Andersen
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Thank you very much for your work on this documentary. No doubt that it is important to keep western public informed about troubles in far away places that are being ignored by western governments for political and economic benefits. It would be really great if the documentary is translated into Russian and even into Uzbek, although I doubt that Uzbekistanies will be allowed access and watch it (as despite labour migration most of Uzbekistanies still live in Uzbekistan).
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Since Andijan massacre there have been number of conspiracies on the cause of this popular revolt. Some see foreign hands directing the revolt, mostly Russians who benefited from it the most. Others see internal inter-security services (inter-clan) conspiracy as all powerful minister Zakir Almatov was made scapegoat and had been removed from his post.
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I believe that it was spontaneous. Andijan is based in the most populous and at the same time poorest region of not just Uzbekistan but Central Asia. Corruption, abuse of power, system of patronage, economic decay, secular oppression of Muslims have all contributed to the revolt, that turned into the bloodiest event in recent history of Uzbekistan. Some (most) believe that government overreacted but at the same time many Uzbekistanies particularly from other regions Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and others somehow believe that government was right to suppress the revolt that could have sparked full scale civil interethnic, inter-clan, interregional war.
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I had a chance of having conversation with number of Uzbekistanies most of whom I met after the Massacre in either Europe or in Russia and who like myself have access to all the information available on the internet. And even amongst them most of them believe that if the revolt was not suppressed it could have turned into larger conflict not just between government and people but between people. Most of Uzbekistanies I have spoken to prefer to have peace at the expense of economic and social benefits. Can I (we) judge them for this?
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Even before collapse of USSR when many of its parts very turned into violent conflicts, karimov’s regime was using fear of conflict and civil unrest for its own benefit. It helped karimov to get rid of political opponents within Communist Party and also amongst Uzbek nationalists. Ever since independence of Uzbekistan the tale of political stability and successfully associating stability of the regime with stability of the nation have become the most important pillars of karimov’s regime. As we witnessed it worked not only for internal consumption, but also to attract world’s superpower and manipulate its interests for karimov’s benefit. Mr Murray was probably the most high profile but, by far, not the only victim of this manipulation.
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Other issue that is not less important is absence of political opposition to the regime. So called opposition, which is mostly in immigration and which left Uzbekistan decades ago, has little to do with concerns of Uzbekistanies. Living in immigration they have lost not only connection to the people but also to political landscape. Not only these opposition is failing to stand up to the karimov’s regime but their most serious concern seems to be criticising each other more often than the regime. Those who believe that this type of opposition is capable of forming a government and successfully managing the country need to have another look at Iraq.
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Mr Murray, for instance, believes that there are sensible people in current karimov’s government, who in case of karimov stepping down would lead Uzbekistan in more sensible direction. But to his disappointment it is very unlikely that such people exist. It is more likely that after karimov Uzbek elites would either come up with one all parties satisfying candidate, or would decent into internal conflict, where people with real power such as head of SNB and Minister of Interior, will have upper hand.
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If anything karimov’s was successful in burning ground around himself and making sure that no one who is capable of even potentially challenging him is given a chance of trying to do it. Not only karimov managed to dismember opposition but also failed to establish political organisation that like Soviet Communist Party would be capable of arranging for peaceful and somewhat appropriate succession. Post karimov era in Uzbekistan is not going to be all shiny and full of democratic and liberal moments, but more like constant conflict of various clans until one of them wins or until compromise if found. Adding here corruption, poverty, distrust of population, anger and conflicting interests of great powers, is more likely recipe for anything else but success.
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.
It shouldn’t be too astonishing that Azerbaijan is increasingly facing away from Russia, should it? Given that Armenia remained in the FSU orbit?
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/10/world/europe/russia-increases-military-flights-over-armenia.html?_r=1
To be fair, Azerbaijan had never, since collapse of USSR, been in Russian orbit. Russia (USSR) from the beginning not only supported Armenia but to some extend initiated Nagorny-Karabakh conflict. This particular conflict Azerbaijan faced in almost isolation, as even the most powerful Shiite nation – Iran later withdrew its support to Azerbaijan.
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Today Nagorny-Karabakh is one of the dozens of frozen conflicts that could be brought to live at any time, time that suits those who would benefit from it.
The West supports and trains terrorists
German Intelligence: “al-Qaeda” All Over Syria
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article31974.htm
and: UK Training Syrian “Rebels” In Iraq
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article31973.htm
Azerbaijan since 1991 has not been under Russian influence. The Aliyev dynasty was chosen by Brzezinski (under the employment of Amoco) and came to power with the help of 2500 Afghan mujaheddin he was so fond of. No surprise that the order to bomb the US embassies in Africa came from a fax sent from Baku.
Timely article by Pepe Escobarhttp://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/07/2012722133942605266.html
We will not forgive!
It is heartbreaking that the UK backs Karimov. I worked in Uzbekistan and it is a lovely country and the people are so friendly. I always maintain affection for the country and sincerely hope one day it can be free.
“Bell Pottinger”…”Uzbek cotton”
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http://www.firmmagazine.com/news/2979/PCC_ruling_upholds_journalists_right_to_use_subterfuge_in_public_interest.html
Craig and Michael,
Thank you for your continued efforts to expose the murderous actions of this repulsive Karimov creature and his henchmen. His footsoldiers need to be reminded that the “just following orders” excuse exceeded its sell-by date half a century ago and that they may well (and should) pay the ultimate price if his regime falls.