INDEPTH: UZBEKISTAN
Timeline
CBC News Online | May 16, 2005
May 16, 2005:
Analysts say the last few days represent the worst violence since Uzbekistan gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. There are reports of more than 700 deaths since protests began on May 12. Many blame President Islam Karimov's government troops for firing on protestors.
May 15, 2005:
The head of the human rights advocacy group Appeal says troops killed about 200 people on May 14 in Pakhtabad as anti-government protests spread through the eastern part of the country.
May 14, 2005:
Violence spreads to other towns across the country.
May 13, 2005:
Protestors release at least 2,000 prisoners – including the 23 men jailed on charges of religious extremism – shortly after midnight from the high-security jail in Andijan.
Uzbek security forces and protesters exchange gunfire as thousands rally outside government buildings. Several buildings are torched. An estimated 500 protesters are killed.
May 12, 2005:
Violence flares in the region bordering Kyrgyzstan as thousands of protesters surge through the streets. They are enraged by the government's decision to jail 23 Muslim businessmen on charges of religious extremism.
An armed crowd takes over the high-security jail in Andijan, in eastern Uzbekistan.
May 11, 2005:
The trial of 23 Muslim businessmen ends. They await the verdict from jail.
April and May 2005:
Weeks of peaceful demonstrations call for the release of the 23 men.
June 2004:
23 Muslim businessmen are arrested and accused of belonging to an extremist cell that plotted to overthrow the secular government and establish an Islamic state. Their defenders insist the charges are trumped up by a government that wants to crack down on community leaders who might challenge its authority.
2004:
Violence mounts in areas around the capital of Tashkent. The government continues to blame Muslim extremists, but some experts disagree.
"Popular discontent has been growing in Uzbekistan for a long time, mainly caused by unsolved deep social problems," Viktor Korgun, a specialist with the Institute of Oriental Studies in Moscow, told the Christian Science Monitor. "The Fergana Valley [the scene of much violence] is a knot of problems: it has the highest population density, severe water shortages, the highest level of unemployment, and some growth of Islamic extremism. People there feel themselves in a desperate situation."
The U.S. protests severe human rights abuses by the government by cutting some military and economic aid. Still, the U.S. government is criticized for allegations it sent suspected terrorists to Uzbekistan for interrogation even though it knows of the country's violent interrogation methods.
2001:
Uzbekistan allows the U.S. to set up a military base in the country, offering the Americans critical access to Afghanistan during its war there against the hard line Islamic Taliban government.
2000:
President Karimov seeks international support in his fight against Islamic extremists whom he accuses of using terrorism in their attempt to overthrow the government and set up a radical Muslim state. He has some success in convincing international governments of his case.
After declaring the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan a terrorist group backed by Osama bin Laden, the U.S. provides Uzbekistan with support in the form of military transport vehicles. Russia sends troops to join in anti-terrorist exercises.
1991:
Uzbekistan declares independence from Russia but the communists retain control of the country and Islam Karimov easily wins the presidential election. He is widely considered among the most authoritarian leaders still in control of a former Soviet republic.
Late 1800s:
Russia conquers Uzbekistan and holds onto it, despite ongoing resistance.
Ancient history:
During the time of the Roman Empire, Uzbekistan was on the silk trade route between China and the West.
Its geography has had much to do with shaping its history. As the U.S. Library of Congress puts it, "Subject to constant invasion and to in-migration of nomads from the great grasslands to the north, Uzbekistan became a region of legendary conquests where various peoples with different traditions have consistently had to live together." Various dynasties ruled the region until Russia conquered it in the 19th century.
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Uzbekistan
Population: 26,851,195
GDP per capita: $1,800 US
Ethnic groups: Uzbek 80%, Russian 5.5%, Tajik 5%, Kazakh 3%, Karakalpak 2.5%, Tatar 1.5%, other 2.5% (1996 est.)
Religions: Muslim 88% (mostly Sunni), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3%
Independence: Sept. 1, 1991
Legal system: evolution of Soviet civil law; still lacks independent judicial system
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