QuoteUzbek photos anger officials
A "panel of experts" apparently found that Akhmedova's work left a negative impression
A photographer in Uzbekistan has said she has been charged with slandering the dignity of the Central Asian state through her photographs and a documentary film portraying of life in the isolated state.
Umida Akhmedova could face up to three years in prison if found guilty of the charges brought by prosecutors in the former Soviet state.
"An investigator in Tashkent's Mirabad police station informed me ... that I was charged with part three of article 139 of the Uzbek criminal code," Akhmedova said on Monday.
A state-sponsored "panel of experts" found that Akhmedova's work left a negative impression on viewers who were unfamiliar with Uzbek traditions, showing the Uzbek people as uncultured and backward.
The panel concluded that "her unscientific, unsound and inappropriate comments" contained hidden implicatinos.
The well-known photographer said investigators offered her amnesty if she pleaded guilty.
'Vague charges'
"I refused it as I am not a criminal," Akhmedova said.
"I cannot understand ... where is the libel here. I don't understand why, after several years of the photographs being published, a criminal case being opened against me," she told Al Jazeera.
"I am not political at all. I am just interested in the lives of ordinary people"
Umida Akhmedova,
photographer
"The charges are so vague - that it contradicts Uzbek traditions. I am not political at all. I am just interested in the lives of ordinary people," she said.
The Uzbek prosecutor general's office denied it had opened a criminal case against Akhmedova.
Maisy Wicher-ding, a Central Asia expert with the human rights group Amnesty International, told Al Jazeera that the life Akhmedova recorded does not conform with the image the government wants to project to the world.
"They prefer a much more sanitised version," Maisy said.
"The Uzbek government has long been waging a public relations campaign. They say there's freedom of expression, and human rights are respected, but when you look at the practice, that is not what's happening.
"However, this is the first time we have someone being pursued for their perceived expression of dissent. She did not set out to dissent.
"She is not a political activist ... she is not a human rights defender. This goes beyond what happens normally where any expression of dissent is swiftly clamped down on by authorities."
The book containing more than 100 photographs of rural life and a documentary film about women's rights, were both funded by the Swiss embassy in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan.
However, embassy officials distanced themselves from the projects after the film, "The Burden of Virginity," proved controversial upon its release in 2009.
The Beeb Provides some additional commentary on these photos at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8473285.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8473285.stm)
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Savages. :lol:
What on earth is going on with those kids with cushions over their willies?
Otherwise I'm not seeing much of a problem here,
So they live in clay pots. What's the big deal?
Quote from: Tyr on January 27, 2010, 10:43:09 AM
What on earth is going on with those kids with cushions over their willies?
Otherwise I'm not seeing much of a problem here,
They've just been circumcised. :pinch:
Xinjiang is one of those places I'd love to visit before I die.
I don't understand. Insulting Uzbeks is a crime, but actually being one is not????
I heard today that our company might launch another attempt at doing business there.
Quote from: Syt on January 27, 2010, 11:54:28 AM
I heard today that our company might launch another attempt at doing business there.
Be careful of the pictures you put in your brochures.
So...what is the problem with the photos?
Quote from: Valmy on January 27, 2010, 12:02:36 PM
So...what is the problem with the photos?
In the BBC link I posted there are some specific comments related to why the photos are viewed as problematic by the government. Mostly, I think, they feel that the photos depict their country as poor and backwards. In my opinion banning photos like these makes the country look more backwards than the photos themselves.
Quote from: Martinus on January 27, 2010, 10:35:46 AM
Savages. :lol:
I don't see any signs of homosexuality. :huh:
Quote from: Savonarola on January 27, 2010, 12:06:32 PM
In the BBC link I posted there are some specific comments related to why the photos are viewed as problematic by the government. Mostly, I think, they feel that the photos depict their country as poor and backwards. In my opinion banning photos like these makes the country look more backwards than the photos themselves.
They make the country look a lot less backwards than the stereotype.
Uzbekistan brings to mind 'Afghanistan'.
These photos though present it as quite an alright place. Albeit ethnic.
The real reason is that they think she's stealing their souls with her devilbox.
Quote from: Savonarola on January 27, 2010, 10:48:41 AM
Quote from: Tyr on January 27, 2010, 10:43:09 AM
What on earth is going on with those kids with cushions over their willies?
Otherwise I'm not seeing much of a problem here,
They've just been circumcised. :pinch:
Which is a sure sign of a barbaric religious land.
Best to avoid the place.
Quote from: Syt on January 27, 2010, 11:54:28 AM
I heard today that our company might launch another attempt at doing business there.
What does your company do, sell boiling vats?
Quote from: Savonarola on January 27, 2010, 12:06:32 PM
Quote from: Valmy on January 27, 2010, 12:02:36 PM
So...what is the problem with the photos?
In my opinion banning photos like these makes the country look more backwards than the photos themselves.
Agreed.
Quote from: Savonarola on January 27, 2010, 10:48:41 AM
Quote from: Tyr on January 27, 2010, 10:43:09 AM
What on earth is going on with those kids with cushions over their willies?
Otherwise I'm not seeing much of a problem here,
They've just been circumcised. :pinch:
Can't be. They are too old for that.
Are uzbekz muslims?
Quote from: Tyr on January 27, 2010, 12:18:33 PM
Quote from: Savonarola on January 27, 2010, 12:06:32 PM
In the BBC link I posted there are some specific comments related to why the photos are viewed as problematic by the government. Mostly, I think, they feel that the photos depict their country as poor and backwards. In my opinion banning photos like these makes the country look more backwards than the photos themselves.
They make the country look a lot less backwards than the stereotype.
Uzbekistan brings to mind 'Afghanistan'.
These photos though present it as quite an alright place. Albeit ethnic.
Ethnic? What the fuck you mean by that, you fucking racist pig?!
eth⋅nic /ˈɛθnɪk/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [eth-nik] Show IPA
–adjective 1. pertaining to or characteristic of a people, esp. a group (ethnic group) sharing a common and distinctive culture, religion, language, or the like.
2. referring to the origin, classification, characteristics, etc., of such groups.
3. being a member of an ethnic group, esp. of a group that is a minority within a larger society: ethnic Chinese in San Francisco.
4. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of members of such a group.
5. belonging to or deriving from the cultural, racial, religious, or linguistic traditions of a people or country: ethnic dances.
6. Obsolete. pagan; heathen.
Quote from: Siege on January 29, 2010, 08:09:16 AM
Can't be. They are too old for that.
Are uzbekz muslims?
Are Muslims circumcized as newborns as well?
Quote from: DGuller on January 29, 2010, 10:05:49 AM
Quote from: Siege on January 29, 2010, 08:09:16 AM
Can't be. They are too old for that.
Are uzbekz muslims?
Are Muslims circumcized as newborns as well?
It depends on the country and culture; in Uzbekistan it looks like they do it before the boy turns 9.
http://www.roxanatour.com/uzbekistan/tour_travel/uzbek_customs.html (http://www.roxanatour.com/uzbekistan/tour_travel/uzbek_customs.html)
The birth of a boy brings to the family a real elation and responsibility. Before the child reaches the age of nine it is necessary to perform ancient sanctified Islamic rite of circumcision - hatna kilish or sunnat toyi. Prior to the rite in the presence of the elders from neighbourhood suras (verses from Koran) are read and holiday table is served. The elders bless the small boy and give him presents. At last there comes the culminating point of the ceremony when a stallion, decorated with beautiful harness and ribbons, appears; the boy is seated on it; and all the guests begin to wish him to grow up a healthy man and brave horseman.