Islam Karimov

Despite extensive constitutional protections, the Karimov government has actively suppressed the activities rights of political movements, continues to ban unsanctioned public meetings and demonstrations, and continues to suppress opposition figures. The repression reduces constructive opposition even when institutional changes have been made. In the mid-1990s, legislation established significant rights for independent trade unions, separate from the government, and enhanced individual rights; but enforcement is uneven, and the role of the state security services remains central.

Uzbekistan used to be an ally of the United States until the country ordered all U.S. military off its soil last year after the White House criticized Karimov's human rights record. Just last spring, the Uzbek milatry mowed down several hundred unarmed protestors with machine guns in the city of Andajan — a Tianamen Square-style massacre that has received little international attention. Since then Karimov's government has launched a massive crackdown against dissenters, staging show trials showcasing confessions that appear to have been forced, just to remind people who's in charge.