MosNews reports that the Andijon protesters were calling for economic freedom. RFE/RL’s Daniel Kimmage has background on the economic complaints of Andijon residents. Kimmage’s is an especially important story because it highlights that buildilng a shiny new caliphate is not of much concern to the average Uzbek (in other words, most of these folks are full of it). Also, Kimmage just plain knows what he’s talking about.
Also, check out the captions to this picture and this picture. I’m not quite sure why something similar is not on the English captions, but my ever-so-precise translation of the quotations is “There are no Wahabbis among us. We want jobs and democracy.” and “We want Russia to mediate including the personal involvement of President Putin.”
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Nathan,
Great link from Kimmage, I really appreciated that and thought his info was very helpful in getting some perspective on the situation. It makes me sick watching the government here cover this all up, especially as the accounts come out faster and faster confirming that they fully opened fire on crowds of innocent people.
I am really afraid, though, that with Russian language stuff blocked so well, and so little access for most people to non-filtered news sources that the vast majority of the country will never know about this. I am trying to remember a government opened fire like this on it’s own unarmed citizens here in the CIS—has this happened since Latvia (or was it Lithuania) back in 88 or 89 under Gorbachev? Could someone please help me with my history, it’s 3 a.m. and I’ve been out of college for longer than I like to admit…
I am just hoping there is hope that all those people died for something..
I could be wrong, but troops have opened fire in Georgia, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan under the Soviets, Kyrgyzstan last year, Azerbaijan (can’t remember), and I’m sure other places I can’t remember.
People will know, and they’ll know quick. News travels fast through the bazaars and taxi drivers.
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