I received a message today that I’ll never forget: one of the world’s longest imprisoned journalists—Yusuf Ruzimuradov—is now free after 19 hellish years. #Uzbekistan #MomentofHope
Steve Swerdlow
98.1K posts
Steve Swerdlow
@steveswerdlow
Human rights lawyer, Associate Professor of the Practice of Human Rights, Dept. of Pol. Science & Int'l Relations @USC Former @hrw. Central Asia, Eurasia.
Los Angeles; Kyrgyzstan
Joined February 2012
- Good on @lapatina_ for an excellent piece in today's @nytimes "Putin Picked the Wrong Country to Mess With"
- As former monitor for the Union of Councils for Soviet Jews based in Russia's North Caucasus & South Caucasus many years back, I extensively visited Jewish communities in the region, although visiting the ancient Jewish community in Derbent, Dagestan was always difficult.
- Big fan of @RandyRainbow but with #FiddlerontheRoof this video takes a special place in my heart. #Chutzpah in the best sense of the word!
00:00 - Replying to @TUmarovAn important announcement no doubt but made FAR easier by Kazakhstan’s much earlier statement on non-recognition of Russia’s unilateral announcement on the DNR and LNR, no?
- Azerbaijan’s Attack on American Company Should End Sanctions Waiver
- Learning that as @RFERL undergoes budget cuts leading #CentralAsia watcher & all-around great person @BrucePannier is among them-There's simply no one who brings more breadth & depth each day to this tumultuous region from energy to ethnic conflict. Hope this can be reconsidered.
- Nagorno-Karabakh crisis forces western rethink on Azerbaijan
- Some exciting news-Am honored to be appointed full-time Associate Professor of the Practice of Human Rights at @USC's Dept of Political Science & Int'l Relations. Look fwd to working w/ colleagues, students to research & advance #humanrights globally, in #CentralAsia, & #Eurasia!
- As alarming violence & aggression against Armenians resumes, it is more important than ever that we speak up, call out Azerbaijan's pattern of repeatedly using illegal force to grab territory & lend support to Armenians' voices. @GoldenTent @aniboghoss @hyelights_tsv @CFTJusticeEverything I could say about Azerbaijan's attacks on Armenia proper I said back in 2020. This was never about territorial integrity, but about the total destruction of Armenia.
- Today for first time in years, in response to serious international pressure, #Tajikistan has released a political prisoner! Hopefully, the first of many hundreds to come. Am so proud to say that #KhayrulloisFree! A picture of his family, with tears of joy, outside the courthouse
- How We've Failed Armenia, Again.
- Replying to @steveswerdlow and @BBCSteveRA common element between those pogroms (such as Chisinau, 1903) & what occurred this week is pervasive ignorance about Jews (despite their long presence in Dagestan) and powerful, opportunistic state-sponsored propaganda that feeds hatred and violence.
