Uzbekistan: The former journalist and emigrant Ruslan Sharipov wants to go back home
The former Uzbek journalist and human rights activist Ruslan Sharipov, currently residing in USA, directed an open letter to the government of Uzbekistan with the request to allow him to go back home. «Please, help me avoid threats, persecution, physical violence, isolation and humiliation of my life in America».
Today, the dissident, which openly criticized the government of Uzbekistan for violation of human rights, sincerely hopes that Islam Karimov and Rustam Inoyatov (the Head of influential special service in Uzbekistan – editorial note) «are not indifferent to personal grief, moral and physical paid, violence and humiliation».
Ruslan Sharipov at the anti-military protest in Hollywood (USA), March 2007
It has to be mentioned that Ruslan Sharipov, the journalist and public figure, was condemned in Tashkent in 2003 for homosexuality and sentenced to four years of imprisonment. Ruslan continued writing articles from jail. Official Tashkent decided to get rid of him. After a year in jail Ruslan was unexpectedly released and on October 21, 2004 he arrived in USA as legal refugee, having the passport of Red Cross.
Ruslan Sharipov is respected member of few PEN-centers, the nominee of Golden Pen Award – 2004, Freedom to Write Award, the winner of grants, allocated by Human Rights Watch, IWPR and CPJ.
In his message, addressed to the President of Uzbekistan and world community, Ruslan Sharipov informs that several times he was «assaulted, exposed to physical violence».
He regrets that he «criticized the government USA, George Bush, Barack Obama, Department of Homeland Security, police and other state structures of USA for violation of human rights». The journalist affirms that he went through «terrible physical violence, isolation and humiliation of life» and he personally got to know what «American democracy was».
Suffering from such events, Ruslan Sharipov decided to stop human rights activity, journalism and close his websites.
Ruslan is sincerely surprised why his two messages to the US president were ignored. «I also contacted Human Rights Watch with the request to help me purchase ticket to Sweden in order to avoid further physical violence and humiliation of my life in USA, but I got rejection letters» the Uzbek dissident notes.
According to him, the journalists and human rights organizations in USA never covered the cases with the assault against him in America.
Life in USA turned out to be harder test than struggling against Karimov’s regime in Uzbekistan. «Despite my critical comments no one ever dared to attack me in Uzbekistan», he wrote.
«In America I have no single friend except for isolation, threats, persecution and humiliation as a result of bloody attacks in Sacramento (California). I was almost shot dead for my critical notes about local government. I still have no green card».
