Muhammad Salih
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Muhammad Salih (sometimes cited as Salikh in Russian or Salih in Turkish), born on 20 December 1949 is an Uzbek political opposition leader and writer. He lives in exile in Norway where the government has granted him political asylum.
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[edit] Early life
Muhammad Salih was born in the Khorezm region of Uzbekistan in 1949. He served in the Soviet Army from 1968 to 1970, witnessing the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia. After serving in the army, he enrolled in Tashkent State University where he studied journalism. He graduated in 1975 and started working as a writer. He published his first poetry book in 1977. Between 1977 and 1979, he enrolled in literature courses in Moscow. Salih became an influential writer and poet in Uzbek literary circles in the 1980s. Salih's first political activity was a letter signed and sent by 53 young poets to the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, known as the 'Letter To The Politburo.' The letter criticized the Communist Party as "anti-Uzbek."[1], Subsequently, Salih published several articles condemning the government's demographic and environmental policies in Uzbekistan. In 1988 Salih was elected Chairman of the Union of Writers of Uzbekistan.
[edit] Political activities
In 1988 the Uzbek literary elite, including Muhammad Salih, Dadahan Hasan,Rauf Parfi founded 'Birlik' (Unity), the first opposition movement in Uzbekistan. The movement organized a number of street demonstrations, inspired by mass demonstrations in the Baltic Republics, demanding the end of cotton monoculture, rehabilitation of Uzbek language, and purged intellectuals. Birlik movement and the off-spring Birlik Party never received official registration from Uzbek authorities. In 1989, one year after the establishment of Birlik, Salih and Erkin Vahidov split from the movement and founded a more moderate party, Erk Democratic Party. In March 1990 Salih was elected to the Uzbek Supreme Assembly.
Salih was nominated as a candidate in the first presidential elections in Uzbekistan in December 1990. While Birlik was not officially registered and unable to participate in the elections, Salih ran unsuccessfully against Islom Karimov. According to the official results Solih received 12.7% of votes. Most election observers said the elections were neither fair nor democratic.[2]
After the elections government repression on Uzbek opposition dramatically escalated. Several student demonstrations were put down. Amidst cancellations of demonstrations, threats, intimidations and beatings of opposition leaders, Polat fled to Turkey.[3] In response to increasing government repression, Solih resigned from his position as the deputy of Oliy Majlis, (Uzbek parliament. )
In June 1992 Solih was arrested and, later, released as a result of international pressure. He left Uzbekistan in the summer of 1992. He first settled in Turkey, but left because the Turkish government repeatedly asked him to leave as it did not want to hurt bilateral relations. After the Tashkent bombings of February 1999 he was accused of being part of the plot and was sentenced to 15 years in prison in absentia. His brothers were also detained and sentenced to long prison terms. In the closely observed trial of Solih, the prosecution produced a confession from Zayniddin Askarov to implicate Solih in the bombing. Later, Askarov, in an interview broadcasted by Voice of America, said his confession was taken under torture, and Solih was not a part of the bombing.[4]
[edit] Books
Some of his books include
"Oydinlik sari", 1993, Istanbul, "ERK"
"Etikodning chorrahasi bolmaydi", 1994, Istanbul"ERK"
"Ikror", 1995, Istanbul, "ERK")
"Devlet sirlari" (in Turkish) 1997, Toker
"Turkistan suuru" (in Turkish 1997, Otuken
" Agaclar sair olsa", 1997, (in Turkish), Otuken
"Yolnoma", (in Uzbek) 1999, Istanbul, "ERK"
"Yolname" (in Turkish) 2002, Istanbul, Оtuken
" The articles" - 2003, Istanbul, Acun
"Valfajr, Ko'men nashriyoti, Konya - 2005
"Publisistika, Izdatelstvo Bilgeoguz, Istanbul-2005
[edit] References
- ^ Official Biography, http://www.muhammadsalih.info/uzbekms/index1.htm#
- ^ William Fierman, Political Development in Uzbekistan: Democratization?, Karen Dawisha, Bruce Parrott (edit.), Conflict, Cleavage, and Change in Central Asia and the Caucasus, New York: Cambridge University Press, 1997, p. 379.
- ^ Fane, D., Ethnicity and Regionalism in Uzbekistan: Maintaining Stability Through Authoritarian Control, in Drobizhova, L. Gotlemooler, R. Kerleher, C.M. Wallker, L.Ethnic Conflict in the Post-Soviet World: Case Studies and Analysis, New York: M.E. Sharp, 1996, p.281.
- ^ Prisoner’s Confession, http://www.jahongir.org/ENGLISH/prisoner.html
