ISLAMIC AND OTHER OPPOSITIONISTS IN UZBEKISTAN FACE HARSHER CRIMINAL PENALTIES.

The Uzbek parliament has adopted amendments to the penal code, which came into force yesterday, toughening criminal penalties for participation in religious and other types of opposition activities. The amendments increase the prison terms for membership in opposition groups and broaden the definition of those groups. The key change, contained in the revised article 244, imposes sentences ranging from five to twenty years on organizers and members of “religious, extremist, fundamentalist or any type of unlawful organizations.”

At the same time, immunity is granted to members who voluntarily denounce such groups to the authorities or otherwise help forestall the commission of crimes. The amendments, initiated by the state leadership, represent one facet of its reaction to the February 16 terrorist bomb attacks in Tashkent (Itar-Tass, May 12). The authorities have named a wide range of suspects and announced some arrests in that case, but have not yet managed to provide anything resembling a coherent version. Meanwhile, Iranian propaganda, urging Uzbek Islamists to rise against the government, can only add to the latter’s concerns (see the Monitor, March 26, April 16).

KAZAKHSTAN SAID TO FACE UPSURGE IN ISLAMIC PROPAGANDA.