Activists of four Uzbek human rights organizations organized a picket in front of the Freedom House mission in Tashkent on March 28. Twenty or so human rights activists demanded resignation of FH-Uzbekistan Executive Director M. Sever condemning her as "an accomplice of Islam Karimov's dictatorial regime who discredits the whole human rights movement."

One of the hand-written placards the picketers carried even branded Server as a "provocateur". The statement signed by the Initiative Group of Independent Human Rights Activists (Group), Uzbek Society of Human Rights and Freedoms Promotion (Society), and Organization of Promotion of Rights and Freedoms of Journalists (Organization) was handed over to Emissary Branco with the demand to forward it to FH upper echelons in Washington.

The beginning of cooperation between FH and Uzbek human rights activists as quite rosy.

FH mission in Uzbekistan and the republican Main Directorate of Correctional Facilities presented a joint project in early 2004. Conditions in correctional facilities were to be studied. Journalists who wanted to know why a prominent human rights activist Talib Yakubov and his organization were not involved were answered that "he turned the whole idea down."

Last May, Justice Minister Abdusamat Palvan-Zade officially warned FM mission in Uzbekistan that its registration could be annulled, the way it had been done to Institute Open Society (Soros Foundation). Palvan-Zade accused FH of proliferation of printed and video materials "with a biased and subjective description of the sociopolitical and economic situation in Uzbekistan and encouraging anti-constitutional action."

In July 2004, foreign experts FH contracted to investigate the death of Andrei Shelkovenko in the detention cell of the Bostanlyk district of the Tashkent region unanimously denounced the conclusion drawn by Human Rights Watch (another international organization operating in Uzbekistan) that the detainee had died under torture. Representatives of the Group and NGOQCS were not part of the investigation organized by Sever.

On the eve of the parliamentary election in Uzbekistan last autumn, FH mission denied its premises for a press conference of activists of Birlik, Erk, and Ozod Dekhkanlar, parties of opposition denied registration in Uzbekistan. Ferghana.Ru news agency reported the incident then.

This January, FH ran an investigation of the death of inmate Samandar Umarov in Colony UYA 64/29 in the town of Navoi. His death had been ascribed to torture by Human Rights Watch and Yakubov. Once again, the experts FH brought in from New Jersey (USA) and East Europe denounced the death-by-torture conclusion and spoke against exhumation of the body for another forensic. Some human rights activists from Uzbek regions participated in the investigation this time, but their Tashkent colleagues denied any knowledge of them afterwards. Ferghana.Ru report on the episode is also available.

FH mission organized an opinion poll in Uzbekistan that same month trying to gauge the population's attitude towards problems of owners of tenements and apartments. It made its office in Tashkent available to the Party of Agrarians and Businessmen (also denied registration) led by Marat Zakhidov.

Sever was granted an audience with Islam Karimov at his Aksarai residence on March 5, 2005. The president was quite content with FH participation in the democratic reforms the government was implementing in the country and particularly in preparations for election of the parliament of two houses. According to official reports, Sever in her turn thanked the president for the warm reception and emphasized the importance she was attaching to "a constructive dialogue with law enforcement agencies of Uzbekistan."

From the point of view of the protocol, it is difficult to find anything blamable in Sever's this and previous words of appreciation of constructive cooperation on the part of the authorities of the country the international organization she represented was operating in.

Following expulsion of the Soros Foundation from Uzbekistan in April 2004, recollection of Ambassador of Great Britain Craig Murray from this country, and the recent suspension of the activities of the US Republican Institute, representatives of foreign organizations in Tashkent adopted additional subtlety with regard to Karimov's administration.

Activists of the Group, Society, and Institute do not blame, however, Sever for subtlety. They blame her for being an accomplice to "the dictatorial and repressive regime", collaboration with secret services, for putting the human rights community under pressure to keep under the lid the episodes of human rights abuses, harassment, and torture, fake expertise, non-transparent distribution and embezzlement of funds set aside for grants to human rights organizations.

Leaders of the human rights community and opposition regularly exchange accusations of this sort, proclaiming "fundamental splits" every now and then and purges on the eve of "decisive consolidation of all bona fide democratic forces." This time, however, they blame an executive of an international organization that seemed to have adapted to Uzbek specifics in the last twelve months - differently from its behavior in other countries and regions.

"On December 10, the Day of Human Rights, Server speaking on behalf of Freedom House called leaders of the Interior Ministry the best human rights activists in Uzbekistan," picketers said.

It seems that the Uzbek opposition lacks the strength (and the situation does not warrant it either) for a real consolidation that will enable it to oppose the regime. The authorities themselves - watchful but jubilant - keep an eye on the tactical maneuvers on the part of the few politically experienced oppositionists as long as the latter are busy with petty discord among themselves.