Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov; probably not a fan of Saipov's work...
The paranoia level in Kyrgyzstan was high enough in the wake of Bakiev’s rigged referendum. Journalists, and fans of the truth in general, have been especially wracked by fear and loathing as the government flexes its increasingly heavy hand. Besides the fact that Kyrgyz media outlets generally feel intimidated to openly discuss the widespread allegations of election violations from Sunday’s referendum on the constitution, the print run of an opposition party’s newspaper was also seized recently by Kyrgyz internal security forces due to the paper’s “extremist” opinions.
And now this; ethnic Uzbek journalist, Alisher Saipov, a Kyrgyz citizen living a few kilometers away from the border of Uzbekistan in the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh, was murdered. For a 26 year-old journalist, he was remarkably well known and respected around Central Asia. He founded a newspaper that openly questioned the policies and human rights violations of the Uzbek government, both in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Seipov also broke the story about Uzbek agents kidnapping Uzbek refugees, who had fled to Kyrgyzstan from the brutal Andijan crackdown in 2005. These same agents may have played a role in silencing Saipov’s critical voice.
According to a BBC TV report, just days before his death Seipov told friends he was being followed. He knew his life was in danger because of his reporting, even though he lived in a country with a relatively high degree of press freedom. And though President Kurmanbek Bakiev has publicly hinted that the journalist’s murder may have been the result of “foreign interference,” a pretty brazen hint to air publicly in light of Kyryzstan’s usual reticence about any actions of the Uzbek government, his promise of a full investigation has been met with skepticism.
While President Bakiev’s promise has been met with skepticism, the fact that he mentioned the possibility of “foreign interference (meaning Uzbekistan)” as the cause of a Kyrgyz citizen’s death is significant. The Kyrgyz government almost never rocks the boat when it comes to its far more populous and powerful neighbor to the west.
So will Bakiev push through this investigation, either as a move to strengthen domestic support at a time of rapidly rising food prices and discontent, or as a way to poke a rare stick at Uzbek President Islam Karimov? Karimov’s power is thought to be on the wane as he reputedly seeks a successor before he steps down due to his current battle with leukemia (not that it matters, but Karimov’s term ended at the beginning of this year). Bakiev surely knows he’s politically and physically weak. And Karimov reputedly slighted Bakiev at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit last August in Bishkek when he badgered Bakiev about the region’s water problems in a disrespectful way. Don’t expect a Central Asian man to ignore an insult.
One thing is certain; Bakiev’s action or inaction will foreshadow the long-term direction of the Kyrgyz government when it comes to the precarious state of press freedom in the country. Let’s hope Saipov’s life, and death, are not soon forgotten, for the sake of truth and its survival in Central Asia.
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