Yet another of the very brave Uzbeks with whom I worked has just been taken in by the Uzbek authorities. She was arrested in the middle of the night by over thirty armed members of the security services, many dressed in full combat gear and with their features obscured by balaclavas. Urgent action is needed to save Mutabar.

I have just sent the following letter to my MP:

Craig J Murray

Please contact your MP similarly ‘ in the UK you can use the ‘Fax your MP’ link on the home page of this website. If you are reading from abroad (and so far this website has been visited from 98 different countries) please contact your own authorities.

Below we post the recent exchange of e-mails between Craig Murray and Professor Bundy of SOAS. Two names have been removed for reasons of confidentiality.

To: Colin Bundy

From: Craig Murray

Professor Bundy,

Thank you for your email. In addition to the email which I forwarded to you from Mr xxxxx of xxx, here is an email from xxxxx. I repeat to you, that I don’t think you realise the damage being done to the reputation of your institution.

You might care to let the Chairman of your ethics committee know that you have seen evidence that two independent and highly respected sources in the field also view Ms Akiner as dishonest (It is interesting to me that Mr xxxxx and Mr xxxxx both independently chose that word to describe her). If this really does worry you as little as your response would indicate, you are an arrogant man.

I am sorry, but I don’t understand your request for substantiation. I don’t think any of the facts in my letter to you are in dispute. If you think they are, please clarify which and I will endeavour to substantiate them.

I am pleased that I made my letter public, because had I depended upon sensible investigation by you, plainly I would have been disappointed. Your letter to me, and this reply bar names of third parties, will also be published.

Craig

——————————————————————-

From: Colin Bundy

Sent: 06 October 2005 09:18

To: Craig Murray

Subject: Your e-mail to me

Dear Mr Murray,

I have given careful further consideration to your e-mail to me, and your request that it be placed before the School’s Ethics Committee. Your e-mail makes a series of allegations but none of them is substantiated. If you could supply proof for such allegations this would indeed be an issue that would require assessment by the Ethics Committee; but I do not believe that the Committee can proceed on the basis of unproven assertions. I am copying this to the Chair of the Ethics Committee.

I might add that I was a little surprised to discover that what I had taken to be a private communication to me had also been placed in the public domain, by its appearance on your website.

Yours sincerely,

Colin Bundy

To place these communications in context you may wish see the initial email to Prof Bundy and further comments and analysis