Disappearing Diaspora in Uzbekistan –The Uyghurs

Recently, bad news for Uyghurs came from the heartland of Central Eurasia. The Uzbek authorities agreed to Chinese demands to further clamp down on any activity of Uyghurs in Uzbekistan that has a flavor of supporting and advocating human rights and greater political as well as cultural rights for the Uyghurs in East Turkistan (Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region).

On June 15, 2004, Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Uzbekistan to take part in the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which is scheduled to begin on June 16 in Tashkent. During the visit, Hu and his Uzbek counterpart Islam Karimov signed a joint statement on further developing a partnership of friendly cooperation between their two countries. According to the joint statement, “China and Uzbekistan agreed that terrorism, separatism, and extremism still pose a major threat to regional security and stability. China and Uzbekistan will, in accordance with Shanghai Cooperation Organization on Combating Terrorism , Separatism and Extremism and the China-Uzbekistan Agreement on Cooperation in Combating Terrorism, Separatism, and Extremism, further strengthen coordination and cooperation among relevant agencies of both countries and continue to adopt powerful measures to fight all forms of terrorism, including terrorism waged buy the so-called "East Turkistan terror groups" in order to engender peace and tranquility in the two countries and in the region. The two countries agreed that the crackdown on the "terrorist forces of East Turkistan" is a major part of the international anti-terrorism campaign “.

China also announced it would give Central Asian countries US$900million in credits and gave Uzbekistan about US$2.5 million in humanitarian assistance.

According to Uyghur intellectuals in Uzbekistan, Uzbek authorities will strengthen their control over any activities of Uyghurs in Uzbekistan and other Central Asian republics. New Sino-Uzbek cooperation against the Uyghur movement for independence and democracy will cast a dark shadow over the future of Uyghur people.



Uzbekistan is one of the countries in Central Asia, which has a large number of the Uyghur diaspora. Uzbekistan’s stance on this matter is unique in Central Asia. Although other Central Asian countries, particularly Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, have also curtailed and limited Uyghur movements of the same character, they did allow Uyghurs to carry out some activity within the boundary of their existing laws. However, Uzbekistan has not given any chance for Uyghurs to organize in support of their ethnic brothers in East Turkistan.

Uzbekistan’s stance on this issue is not new. It is a historical fact that the Ferghana Valley has been a rear base for the Uygur national liberation movement since the 19th century. Uzbek -Uyghur relations in the fields of politics, economics, and culture has affected Uygur liberation movements throughout history. Well aware of these facts, Uzbek authorities, just after the country’s independence, closely monitored the Uyghur movements that were gaining momentum in its territory. Fearing that Uyghur movements in Uzbekistan, which are aimed at supporting the Uyghurs’ struggle against the Chinese government, would negatively affect Sino-Uzbek relations, the Uzbek government has clamped down on the Uyghur movements since independence.

The Uygurs of Uzbekistan have made significant contributions to the development of social, economic, and cultural life in Uzbekistan. Today, as citizens of Uzbekistan, they are faithfully fulfilling their civic duties and roles. However, the Uyghurs in Uzbekistan are currently going through rough times. Just like other people in Uzbekistan, their freedom of speech and expression are severely curtailed by the current Uzbek regime. Their freedom to carry out political and human rights campaigns aimed at supporting the political, social, and cultural rights of their ethnic brethren in East Turkistan is particularly severely restricted. Uyghurs thus feel the need of democratization in Uzbekistan even stronger.

Following the intensification of economic and political relations between Uzbekistan and China and the entry of Uzbekistan into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Uyghurs’ problem has increasingly come under the spotlight. The Uzbek government has prohibited pro-Uygur and anti-Chinese messages in the state and any other media outlets. According to some Uyghurs in Uzbekistan, who asked not to be identified, the Uyghur press in Uzbekistan has encountered severe restrictions. The Uzbek press refuses to publish papers, in which the political problems of the Uyghurs are mentioned. Furthermore, the importing of books and newspapers and any other publications concerning to East Turkistan, which are published in Turkey, Germany and other countries, is now prohibited. Hence, there is no publishing house in Uzbekistan that publishes literature in the Uyghur language. Only a short Uyghur service is allowed on Uzbek Radio and is conducted under strict control. Actually the Uyghur radio service was created in 1947 and used as a tool for its anti-China purposes. The current Uyghur radio service is the continuation of that old service but operates under a very different mandate. Anything about Uyghur human rights issues or political problems in East Turkistan is not allowed to be broadcast.

The restrictions on the Uyghur movement in Uzbekistan came into force in 1994 after the visit of Chinese premier Li Peng to the country and the signing of a bilateral agreement between the two governments. Since then, establishment of Uyghur organizations that advocate human rights and independence for the people in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is prohibited. Therefore, there are currently no Uyghur political organizations in Uzbekistan. Only the Uyghur Cultural Center is functioning as a non-political organization. This is in sharp contrast to other Central Asian Republics, specifically Kirghizstan and Kazakhstan, where Uyghurs are allowed to organize into political organizations. According to some Uyghur intellectuals in Uzbekistan, who wanted to remain anonymous, Uygurs are not even allowed to participate in conferences and meetings about Uygur issues which are held in other countries. The Uzbekistan government considers any pro-Uyhgur activities in Uzbekistan or by Uzbek citizens as harmful to Sino-Uzbek relations and Uzbek national interests. After joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Uzbek government quickly responded to the call of Chinese government to crack down on terrorism, ethnic separatism and religious fundamentalism. By actively supporting China’s crackdown on Uyghur independence movements, Uzbekistan wanted to get China’s help in its own fight against Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.


As a people united by its national origin, history, culture and tradition, Uyghurs have a relatively long history in Uzbekistan. From the second half of eighteenth century they began migrating to the land which is now called Uzbekistan. The majority of immigration took place in the following three different periods. The first period was between 1759-1911. This is the period in which Uygurs periodically revolted against Manchu rulers. In this period, many Uyghurs migrated to the Ferghana Valley to escape Manchu-Chinese persecution. The second period is from the beginning of 20th century to 1937. During this period, many Uyghurs came to Uzbekistan in search of a better life. The third period is between 1955 and 1962. In this period, many Uygurs who were against the deal reached between their leaders and Chinese Communist government and who were skeptical of Chinese communist rule in East Turkistan (Xinjiang) moved to Uzbekistan.

The exact number of Uygur population in Central Asia has been a very contentious issue. In the 1920s, Abdulla Rozibakiyev, one of the Uyghur leaders of that time, asserted that the Uyghur population in Soviet Central Asia was 600,000, the majority of which was living in Uzbekistan. According to official Soviet demographic information in 1930s, there were about 300,000 Uyghurs living in the Soviet Union at that time. In 1937, during the Stalin’s campaign of purging "counter-revolutionaries" across the Soviet Union, many Uyghurs were forced to change their ethnic affiliation. There is no precise information concerning the number of Uyghurs living in Uzbekistan during the period 1950-60. Soviet official statistics in 1979 put the Uyghur population at 29,104 and official statistics in 1989 put that number at 35,700. Today, there is no official data on the number of Uyghurs in Uzbekistan, however, Uygur intellectuals in Uzbekistan assert that a great number of Uyghurs live in Uzbekistan. One member of the Uygur Cultural Center of Uzbekistan said that approximately 200,000 Uygurs live in Uzbekistan. And according to a Uyghur professor of the Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences, who did not to be named, there are approximately 500,000 Uyghurs currently living in Uzbekistan.

In the beginning of 20th century, Uyghurs in Uzbekistan enjoyed a brief renaissance in art and literature. The cities of Tashkent and Andijan became the main centers of Uygur culture. The first Uyghur language newspaper "Kembigheller Avazi"(the Voice of Poor) was published in these two cities in 1921. The first Uyghur novel written by Momen Hamraev (1907-1955) was published in Tashkent in 1930. Following in the footsteps of Hamraev, other Uyghur novelists such as Nur Israilova(1910-1953), Abdulla Muhammadi(1901-1937) and Omar Muhammadi (1906-1931), published outstanding works of Uyghur literature. A new genre of free verse in Uygur poetry was introduced by Uyghur poets such as Hezim Iskandarov (1906-1970) and Hebib Zakiri(?-1937) during this period. The State Uyghur Theater of Uzbekistan was created in Andijan in 1930 and soon the motion picture industry was also created with the participation of Uyghur actors. A series of drama performances were presented in the theater. Also Uyghur technical schools were established in Andijan in 1930.

However, the Uyghur cultural renaissance in Uzbekistan did not last long. In 1937-1938, during Stalin`s campaign of purges, Uyghur cultural centers and activities became targets for persecution. In this campaign, a great number of Uyghur scholars were arrested and executed, Uyghur cultural centers, theaters, newspapers and schools in Tashkent and Andijan were closed. Uyghur cultural organizations were moved to Kazakhstan.

However, following the Sino-Soviet break in the 1960s, the Soviet government restored Uygur cultural centers in Uzbekistan. Tashkent became a center of anti-Chinese propaganda that targeted the Uyghur population in Xinjiang. Uygur theaters, radio stations and other centers in Tashkent became very active. The Uyghur radio service in Tashkent broadcast two hours exclusively for the audience in Xinjiang. The Soviet government launched Uyghur study programs in the Institute of Oriental Studies of State Academy and Tashkent State University. All this had a profound impact on the Uyghurs’ independence sentiment in Xinjiang. As mentioned earlier, all of the Uyghur activity in Uzbekistan came to an end following the collapse of Soviet Union.

Today, the Uyghurs are recognized as an ethnic minority in the Republic of Uzbekistan. However, their right to establish cultural and political organizations was severely restricted and vehemently opposed by the Uzbek government. Uyghurs in Uzbekistan are not allowed to form or join political organizations that advocate independence for Xinjiang. Uyghurs are even restricted from attending political activities in other countries, which is related the East Turkistan. As a result, there are no Uyghur political or social organizations in Uzbekistan which advocate and support human rights and greater political and cultural rights for Uygurs in East Turkistan. The Uyghur movement in Uzbekistan is in a stage of hibernation.

After September 11, Uzbekistan became an important ally in American’s war on terror. The Uzbek government provided military bases for American’s war in Afghanistan. Since then, US-Uzbek relations in the spheres of politics, economics, and military cooperation have grown significantly. Relations with the United States have become one of the cornerstones of Uzbekistan’s foreign policy. Unlike other Central Asian countries, Uzbekistan previously refused to participate in any regional organizations, except for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, led by Russia. The international community hoped that closer US-Uzbek relations would help change the autocratic character of the Uzbek regime and make it more democratic and respectful of human rights. However, one year later nothing has changed in the Uzbek regime’s treatment of its dissidents and in its human rights records.

After September 11, China is using its economic power to strengthen cooperation with Central Asian countries and crack down on Uyghur political activities in the region, under the false cover of fighting terrorism, separatism, and extremism.

Автор: N.T.Tarimi