:: The Rational Radical Blog ::

Monday, January 24, 2005

US Support for Torture

Take Uzbekistan, one of the most repressive regimes in central Asia. In April 2002, a special UN rapporteur concluded that torture in the country was 'systematic' and 'pervasive and persistent... throughout the investigation process'. In the same year, Muzafar Avazov, an opposition leader, was boiled alive for refusing to abandon his religious convictions and attempting to practice religious rites in prison. In 2003, Bush granted a waiver to Uzbekistan when its failure to improve its human rights record should have led to its aid being slashed. In February 2004 the US secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld, visited the country's dictator, Islam Karimov, and said: 'The relationship [between our countries] is strong and growing stronger. We look forward to strengthening our political and economic relations.'

Yet the US continues to shower the country with aid, docking a mere $18m last year (around 20% of the total) after expressing its 'disappointment' that Mr Karimov had not made greater strides towards democracy. Pan down the shopping list of tyrannical states in Ms Rice's in-tray (Iran, Burma, North Korea, Zimbabwe, Belarus and Cuba) and you will find no mention of Uzbekistan. Why? Because Uzbekistan, with an estimated 10,000 political prisoners, hosts a US military base that offers easy access to Afghanistan and the rest of the region.

Under the definition of hypocrisy in the dictionary, there's a group picture of Bush, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Rice, Powell and all the rest of their thug comrades.

Jack Clark 9:23 PM [+]   
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