London, UK, September 29 – Hundreds of demonstrators from across the UK will demonstrate at the Embassy of Uzbekistan in London this Saturday (October 1) to protest against the ongoing campaign of torture, intimidation and killing against all those who dare to speak out about the corruption, tyranny and unjust practices of the Uzbek regime. The demonstration is organised by Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain, a non-violent Islamic political party, whose members have been boiled alive in the prisons of Uzbekistan. Over 10,000 of the party's members have been imprisoned in Uzbekistan for peaceful political _expression.
In the last week, Uzbekistan has been holding a theatrical show trial of people alleged to have perpetrated events in Andijan in May 2005. The regime has blamed Islamic groups, journalists, media outlets and foreign governments for instigating the events, even though it is clear from eyewitnesses that what happened in Andijan was a brutal government perpetrated massacre of over 7,000 unarmed civilians. Human Rights Watch [HRW] has collated "numerous first-hand testimonies of a brutal police campaign forcing people to 'confess' that they belong to extremist religious organizations, that the protests in Andijan were violent, and that the protesters were armed." HRW also notes that, "the scale of this killing was so extensive, and its nature was so indiscriminate and disproportionate, that it can best be described as a massacre."
Dr Imran Waheed, a media representative of Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain, said, "When crowds demonstrated in Ukraine, Lebanon and Georgia this was welcomed by Western governments as people power but when thousands are butchered by Uzbek security forces these same governments turn a blind eye. This is hypocrisy ? supporting unelected dictators who boil their people alive while preaching freedom, democracy and the rule of law."
"Demonstrators will draw attention to the plight of the people of Uzbekistan and the hypocrisy of Western governments who ally themselves with a brutal dictator who terrorises the masses through the cold-blooded murder of women and children."
The peaceful demonstration will take place on Saturday 1st October 2005 at 1.00 p.m. at the Embassy of Uzbekistan in London [41 Holland Park, London, W11 3RP; nearest underground Holland Park].
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