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catscradle Dec. 16th, 2003 06:00 pm)
catscradle Dec. 16th, 2003 06:00 pm)Winner of the current "Most Favored Dictator Supported by the US" Award goes to a man by the name of Islam Karimov, president of Uzbekistan. Karimov allowed the US to use their bases to take off from when we went to war with bombed Afghanistan. We also used his bases in our war with Iraq. Because Karimov is a coalition supporter, we don't really mind that he has a few quirks about him, like, say, boiling his opponents alive.
From the Guardian: US looks away as new ally tortures Islamists
He also gets our vote because he opposes radical Islam. Only what he deems radical Islam seems to be Islam in general. But hey, we're in a war on terror! This guy sounds like our kind of people!
Our Kind of People:
Human Right's Watch: Uzbekistan: Torture Death in Prison
In Karimov's own words - from Human Right's Watch Profile of Islam Karimov
A comment from my journalist friend in Latvia:
A friend of mine -- the one I wanted to stay with you on his trip n-- knows some of the opponents of Karimov. Some are on the US terrorist list now. They really are democrats. Karimov's game is to dangle radical Islam like a bogeyman. It works.
We need to liberate the world from dictators? What a farce. We've blocked every attempt of the UN to condemn this regime because he's currently helping us. All I can say is, when a Uzbekistani flies a plane into a skyscraper 10-20 years down the road, the US needn't act so innocent.
Here we go again.
From the Guardian: US looks away as new ally tortures Islamists
He also gets our vote because he opposes radical Islam. Only what he deems radical Islam seems to be Islam in general. But hey, we're in a war on terror! This guy sounds like our kind of people!
Our Kind of People:
Human Right's Watch: Uzbekistan: Torture Death in Prison
In Karimov's own words - from Human Right's Watch Profile of Islam Karimov
"The OSCE focuses only on establishment of democracy, the protection of human rights and the freedom of the press. I am now questioning these values." - President Karimov, after the OSCE criticized the 1999 parliamentary elections. Agence France-Presse, January 8, 2000.
"Such people must be shot in the forehead! If necessary, I'll shoot them myself…!" - President Karimov, upon the 1998 adoption of a highly restrictive religion law, warning parliament not to be soft on "Islamic extremists." Many peaceful Muslims have also been rounded up in the sweeps of "fundamentalists." BBC Monitoring report of Uzbek Radio second program, May 1, 1998.
"I'm prepared to rip off the heads of 200 people, to sacrifice their lives, in order to save peace and calm in the republic…If my child chose such a path, I myself would rip off his head." - President Karimov reacting to acts of violence in Uzbekistan in March 1999. The government originally blamed the incidents, including a bus hijacking, on "criminals" and later on "Islamic extremists." Agence France-Presse, April 2, 1999.
A comment from my journalist friend in Latvia:
A friend of mine -- the one I wanted to stay with you on his trip n-- knows some of the opponents of Karimov. Some are on the US terrorist list now. They really are democrats. Karimov's game is to dangle radical Islam like a bogeyman. It works.
We need to liberate the world from dictators? What a farce. We've blocked every attempt of the UN to condemn this regime because he's currently helping us. All I can say is, when a Uzbekistani flies a plane into a skyscraper 10-20 years down the road, the US needn't act so innocent.
Here we go again.
