BBC cuts World Service to Uzbekistan following government harrassment

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BBC shuts Uzbek World Service operation

John Plunkett
Wednesday October 26, 2005


The BBC has closed its World Service operation in Uzbekistan as a result of intimidation and harassment suffered by its staff since May's armed uprising in Andijan.
The World Service office in the capital Tashkent is being suspended and will remain closed for at least six months while the BBC's management considers its long-term future.

The BBC said the 15 staff affected would either be redeployed or made redundant.

The corporation said its staff in the central Asian country had been subject to a "campaign of harassment and intimidation".

The BBC deputy director general, Mark Byford, wrote to the Uzbek president, Islam Karimov, but has received no reply. The Uzbek ambassador in London also declined to discuss the issue.

"We're doing this because of concerns over security," said the BBC World Service regional head, Behrouz Afagh.

"Over the past four months since the unrest in Andijan, BBC staff in Uzbekistan have been subjected to a campaign of harassment and intimidation which has made it very difficult for them to report on events in the country.

"We would welcome firm guarantees from the Uzbek authorities that all BBC staff will be allowed to continue to work without further government condemnation and interference before we will consider re-opening the bureau."

World Service correspondent Monica Whitlock was forced to leave Tashkent under government pressure in June.

Another six BBC staff members have since left the country because of threats and harassment from authorities. Two have been granted refugee status by the United Nations.

Fifteen men pleaded guilty to attempting to lead an Islamic insurgency in the country in May.

The armed uprising left up to 2,000 people dead, according to local people. However, the government put the figure at 187 people, most of whom it described as "terrorist organisers".

Human rights groups have branded the court case a "show trial" - an allegation denied by the government.

The BBC said the closure of the Tashkent office would affect the newsgathering operations for its Uzbek, Russian, Kygryz and Kazakh services.

It said it remains committed to covering events in Uzbekistan, and would seek access to the country "as and when" its correspondents were granted visas.

Tell me... Why did we have these guys as allies again?

I'd think that the sort of people who use anti-aircraft weapons against unarmed civilians would be the last people you'd want to be identified with.