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Monday, 15 November 2004
UZBEK OPPOSITION GROUP ANNOUNCES ELECTION BOYCOTT
By empty (11/15/2004 issue of the CACI Analyst)
The Davra Kengashi, an NGO that brings together representatives of Uzbekistan\'s opposition parties and human rights activists, announced at a press conference in Tashkent on 12 November that it will boycott 26 December parliamentary elections, RFE/RL\'s Uzbek Service reported. The group, which includes representatives of the unregistered opposition parties Erk and Birlik, made the decision after the opposition made numerous unsuccessful attempts to register candidates through initiative groups. At the news conference, Erk (Freedom), Birlik (Unity), and Ozod Dehqonlar (Free Peasants) party representatives told journalists that local authorities used every possible formal pretext -- from rejecting signatures to ignoring document submissions -- to prevent initiative groups from registering candidates.
The Davra Kengashi, an NGO that brings together representatives of Uzbekistan\'s opposition parties and human rights activists, announced at a press conference in Tashkent on 12 November that it will boycott 26 December parliamentary elections, RFE/RL\'s Uzbek Service reported. The group, which includes representatives of the unregistered opposition parties Erk and Birlik, made the decision after the opposition made numerous unsuccessful attempts to register candidates through initiative groups. At the news conference, Erk (Freedom), Birlik (Unity), and Ozod Dehqonlar (Free Peasants) party representatives told journalists that local authorities used every possible formal pretext -- from rejecting signatures to ignoring document submissions -- to prevent initiative groups from registering candidates. Moreover, some opposition activists suffered police harassment and even physical attacks by unidentified individuals. (RFE/RL)