Sting and the Glamorous Dictator’s Daughter Gulnara Karimova Sting has come out with a spirited defence of his visit to Tashkent as the guest of Karimov’s daughter: ‘I supported wholeheartedly the cultural boycott of South Africa under the apartheid regime because it was a special case and specifically targeted the younger demographic of the ruling [...]

This photo evokes so much of what I love about Uzbekistan and its people. Unfortunately it is not the officially approved image of Gulnara Karimova’s shiny new conference centres and resorts. The photographer, Umida Akhmedova, has therefore been charged with “Defaming Uzbekistan”. It carries a potential 6 year prison sentence. The offence cited is publishing [...]

From my statcounter log: 15 Nov 22:02:18 Safari 4.0.3 1280×1024 Arlington Virginia United States pool-96-231-72-89.washdc.east.verizon.net (96.231.72.89) [Label IP Address] Craig Murray – Corrupt Bloggers Wanted By US Military To Propagandise for Karimov Dictatorship www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&q=%22PETER I. BELK%22&start=10&sa=N

(With thanks again to the excellent Ken Silverstein), Gulnara Karimova is offering all expenses paid luxury junkets to Tashkent, plus a thousand dollars cash in the pocket, to US bloggers willing to blog about Uzbekistan without mentioning torture, massacre, dictatorship, slavery or environmental destruction. http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006092 As Obama has entered into a renewed military cooperation with [...]

I have been watching the various celebrations of the fall of the Berlin Wall from the unusual vantage point of Accra. I have no mixed feelings over the fall of Soviet communist control over Europe. I don’t think Reagan’s use of the phrase “Evil empire” was wrong. The Americans have of course embarked on a [...]

Virtuallu unnoticed, last week’s EU summit lifted the arms embargo and travel ban on the murderous Karimov regime in Uzbekistan. So now British arms manufacturers can sell arms for Karimov to use against his people again. Indeed, British troops may return to Uzbekistan to teach Karimov’s thugs “Marksmanship”, as they did before the Andijan massacre [...]

For those who missed it,the featue on Ikram is here, though I suspect only for today. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight It is worth watching, particularly for confirmation that the Tashkent “bombs” were false flag incidents – which was a major point in my time in Tashkent. My investigation which established this is covered at length in Murder in [...]

BBC 2 Newsnight have been working for three months now on the claims of Uzbek security service defector Ikram Yakubov. http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2008/09/evidence_of_kar.html I think finally the piece will be broadcast tonight, although there have been several postponements already. For me Yakubov’s most interesting evidence is that he accompanied a CIA man to an interrogation, and the [...]

Bill Clinton is to be congratulated on getting the two US journalists released from North Korea. The downside, of propaganda photos for Kim-Jong-Il, is worth it. For British people, there is a contrast with our own government’s longstanding indifferent attitude to the plight of British prisoners and hostages abroad. I recall particularly the British men [...]

This is the only leading blog which has regularly commented on the plight of the Uighurs under Chinese oppression. This is not the simple racial tension the Chinese government pretends. I feel very guilty that campaigning prevents me from commenting further on this and many other pressing current issues at the moment.

As Manchester United prepare to face Barcelona in the Champions League Final, here are two aspects of the Barca colours. Thierry Henry in Barca Colours Muzaffar Avazov in Barca colours Muzaffar Avazov is one of two dissidents who were boiled alive by the Uzbek dictator Islam Karimov. I investigated the case as British Ambassador with [...]

Barcelona are through to the Champions League final tonight after beating Chelsea. They were pretty fortunate, with Chelse having four very good penalty shouts, at least two of which looked 100% certain (and I am neither a Chelsea fan, nor English). That outweighed Barca being hard done by in the sending off. But what is [...]

Hazel Blears is the epitome of New Labour populism. She is the friendly face of outflanking the BNP to the Right. Portrayed as a bouncy little “no-nonsense” politician, “no-nonsense” and “common-sense” are code for “very very right wing indeed”. In this video interview with George Monbiot, she reminds me irresistibly of Gracie Fields, if Grace [...]

I will go back out to Pakistan again later this year. In the meantime I have been talking to Pakistani friends and to journalists and others based in Pakistan, before trying to give a few considered thoughts on Hillary Clinton’s extraordinary and calculated remarks on Wednesday about the “mortal threat” to the USA posed by [...]

There is a story in yesterday’s Sunday Herald about one Scottish Amnesty International activist’s involvement in securing the release of Saidzhakon Zainabitdinov, an Uzbek political prisoner. I have been a guest in Saidzhakon’s home, and he is a good and brave man. http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldnews/display.var.2502888.0.retired_scots_teacher_saves_activist_who_exposed_massacre.php I am a fan of Amnesty International. I have seen at the [...]

Quite interesting filming in Sky News on the situation in Pakistan, including an interview with President Asif Ali Zirdari, in which his slow-witted performance indicates why he so rarely gives them. The Pakistanis, Italians and Israelis are quite happy to elect crooks to lead the nation. The rest of us tend only to find out [...]

Kudos to pitchinvasion.net for an excellent article on the disgusting decision by Barcelona FC to accept sackloads of cash to promote Islam Karimov, the world’s most vicious dictator. http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2009/03/15/bunyodkor-barcelona-and-the-dictators-daughter/ Pitch invasion were building on an article in the Observer by Kevin O’Flynn, who is almost the only sports journalist who ever tackles the seamy underside [...]

Ikram Yakubov, the Uzbek security service defector, has given his first UK media interview to the first class journalist Neil Mackay of the Sunday Herald. Ikram’s testimony is very important, particularly that he personally witnessed a CIA officer present at the torture of Islamic suspects. Remember, the official position of the UK government remains that [...]

Yet another act of hideous brutality. The US is maintaining its claim to have killed “Thirty militants”. The UN, which unlike the US has actually been to the place to investigate, is confirming that the victims were sixty civilians including ninety children. Yet another notch upwards on the spiral of hate. How can anyone believe [...]

I can’t really afford it, but I have just bought and opened a bottle of the best bubbly I can find in Shepherds Bush. Jahongir Sidikov has phoned me to say that the Home Office has just granted him asylum. You will recall that Jahongir had to physically resist deportation from Harmondsworth Detention Centre to [...]