Uzbek Singer on Trial for Song about Massacre

Date Issued: August 2, 2006

UPDATE: Dadakhon Khasanov was given a three-year suspended sentence on September 8, 2006 for writing a song about the Andizhan massacre in May 2005. He will remain out of jail provided he does not write any other politically-motivated songs, but was forced to relinquish his home and car.

Dadakhan Khasanov, a popular singer and political dissident in Uzbekistan, finds himself in a position he remembers well from Soviet days.  He is on trial for having written a song.  His song urges Uzbeks and the rest of the world not to forget the May 13, 2005 massacre of hundreds of unarmed civilians by Uzbek government forces in Andizhan.

Fans of Mr. Khasanov distributed the song through underground channels, passing cassettes secretly from hand to hand out of fear that they would be arrested, tortured, or killed, like dozens of others who have spoken out about Andizhan.  But when a policeman heard the song on a bus, news traveled quickly back to headquarters, and Mr. Khasanov was arrested.  The accusations against him include insulting the president, undermining the constitution, and disseminating illegal information.

On Monday, July 31, the first day of his trial, the courtroom was packed with observers – including embassy representatives.  The judge adjourned the trial until this Friday stating that a decision had to be made as to whether or not to allow such scrutiny. 

Please join us in letting the Uzbek government know that we too are watching and hope that Mr. Khasanov is no longer persecuted for his songs. 

Mr. Khasanov’s Song Lyrics:

There Was a Massacre in Andizhan
(Translation from the website of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting)

Don’t say you haven’t heard,
You well-dressed princesses.
Hey, you deaf and blind ones -
There was a massacre in Andizhan.

On the president’s orders,
With Kalashnikov bullets
The people were shot at by his servants.
There was a massacre in Andizhan.

The Padishah [Shah] did not listen to the people,
He did not hear their cries of suffering,
He has not chosen the path of justice.
There was a massacre in Andizhan.

He let the armoured vehicles open crackling fire,
Killing young and old,
Shooting, shooting, shooting terribly.
There was a massacre in Andizhan.

Shooting, cutting people to ribbons,
Hunting them down in the streets,
Like dogs biting their prey.
There was a massacre in Andizhan.

Children died on the streets,
Bright red like tulips,
Shattered mothers were weeping,
There was a massacre in Andizhan.

He destroyed a local community,
Shaken like fruit from a mulberry tree,
Both men and women.
There was a massacre in Andizhan.

Women with babes in arms,
Pregnant women too,
Died begging for mercy.
There was a massacre in Andizhan.

The whole world found out
about this massacre,
Everyone was filled with anger.
There was a massacre in Andizhan.

Fatherless sons
born in the street -
That’s who did the shooting.
There was a massacre in Andizhan.

The bastards who fired the shots
Are the kind who sleep with their mothers,
And are mired in their own excrement.
There was a massacre in Andizhan

We tested our ruthless leader,
And found him a terrorist.
We were filled with hatred and sorrow.
There was a massacre in Andizhan.

Uzbeks will not awaken,
Sunk in their fear,
Dictators will continue to shoot.
There was a massacre in Andizhan.

Don’t say you haven’t heard,
You well-dressed princesses.
Hey, you deaf and blind ones -
There was a massacre in Andizhan.

Sample Letter:

President Islam KARIMOV
President of the Republic of Uzbekistan
c\o Embassy of Uzbekistan to the United States
1746 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036-1903

Dear President Karimov:

I have recently learned that Dadakhan Khasanov, the popular Uzbek singer and political dissident, is on trial for having written a song urging the world not to forget about the May 13, 2005 massacre of hundreds of unarmed civilians by Uzbek government forces.  I am seriously concerned that the accusations against him, including insulting the president, undermining the constitution, and disseminating illegal information, appear to be politically motivated.  Such a prosecution appears designed to curtail Mr. Khasanov’s right to freedom of expression.  I  therefore urge you to have the charges against him dropped.  If the trial continues, I hope you will ensure that international observers are allowed in the courtroom to monitor the proceedings. 

Mr. Khasanov is just one of many individuals who have tried to inform the public about the Andizhan events and, as a result, have faced politically motivated trials that amount to judicial persecution.  There are credible reports that some have been tortured or severely mistreated while in detention. 

Any arrests of individuals who are trying to inform the public about human rights or human rights abuses are direct violations of the 1998 UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, under which all persons have the right "freely to publish, impart or disseminate to others views, information and knowledge on all human rights and fundamental freedoms."  Other international and regional instruments that are binding on the government of Uzbekistan, like the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, similarly prohibit the persecution of peaceful critics of the Uzbek government.