Rights activist fears crackdown

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan – As this former Soviet state prepares
for the arrival of American troops and the secretary of defense,
Nozima Kamalova is glad yet worried.

Glad because as head of the Legal Aid Society, which
encourages human rights, she applauds Uzbekistan’s growing role in
fighting terrorists.

But concerned too, because she says the war against terrorism
could threaten the frail new freedoms she seeks. Authorities here
have locked up more than 7,000 political prisoners, squelched
political opposition and beaten critics, human rights groups say.

“I am very concerned,” she said. “Maybe they will think that
they can do anything now.”

This is the Uzbek version of the dilemma that Americans face,
too. Retaining civil liberties while cracking down on terrorists
is emerging as a global challenge that different nations approach
from divergent positions.

Last week, before it was announced that Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld would be coming to Uzbekistan, U.S. human rights
groups urged U.S. officials to make sure new military alliances
with Uzbekistan and other authoritarian Central Asian nations
don’t become excuses for abusive internal crackdowns.

Central Asia is “home to brutal dictatorships that use tools
of repression they inherited from the Soviet Union against any
political or religious group they cannot control,” wrote Kenneth
Roth, director of Human Rights Watch, in a letter to U.S.
Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Tighter airport security

Uzbek officials hope the United States also might learn from
the experience of Uzbekistan, where many still speak Russian and
the government has fought militant Islamic insurgents for the past
two years.

On Feb. 16, 1999, five bombs exploded simultaneously around
the capital city of Tashkent, killing 16 people. Security measures
were imposed – such as checkpoints on roads outside the capital.
Airport security is far more intense than in the United States.

Despite increased security, attacks on Uzbekistan continued.
Last year, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan insurgents attacked from
neighboring Tajikistan and Afghanistan. Over two months, Uzbek
forces repelled them.

“They are very strong Islamic extremist groups,” said
Jakhongir Mavlany, assistant to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s
foreign commercial service officer in Uzbekistan. “Their final
goal, according to their press releases, is to create a pure
Islamic empire in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asian
republics, including parts of western China.”

The situation calmed this past year. U.S. companies led by
Denver-based Newmont Mining Corp. – which invested $300 million in
a gold-processing joint venture – see business potential in
Uzbekistan.

Mavlany said leaders of the insurgency “are linked with Osama
bin Laden,” the suspected terrorist. In his speech after the Sept.
11 attacks on New York and Washington, President Bush referred to
the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and its link to bin Laden’s
al-Qaeda group.

National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, in an interview
during the presidential campaign, said Central Asia could become a
hotbed of anti-U.S. terrorism, funded by sales of heroin from
Afghanistan.

Most of the people across the region are Muslims – 88 percent
of Uzbekistan’s population of 25 million. Widespread poverty –
with salaries at about $25 a month – creates potential recruits
for radicals, even though literacy rates are high.

Rumsfeld’s visit, following stops in Saudi Arabia and Egypt,
is designed to build cooperation for attacks on Afghanistan, which
harbors bin Laden.

Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov is hosting Rumsfeld on
Friday.

Kamalova will watch closely.

A 39-year-old lawyer who first toured America as Hillary
Rodham Clinton’s guest, she witnessed the destruction of the Sept.
11 attacks in New York while attending a United Nations conference.

Now she awaits the results. Karimov offered access to air
bases – including those near Tuzul, Termez and Samarqand – for
U.S. warplanes and troops. Many have been idle since Soviet forces
withdrew about 11 years ago and require improved electronics, air
control systems and fueling stations. A contingent from the 10th
Mountain Division is expected soon.

One fear here is that Americans might strike Afghanistan and
then withdraw, leaving Uzbekistan to face enraged radical Muslims.

So far, despite concerns, Kamalova said her group,
Uzbekistan’s first officially registered human rights
organization, finds that officials “are listening” to civil rights
concerns.

“I think,” she said, “it’s good that they let the Americans
come here.”