TASHKENT, 1 October 2003 — A century-and-a-half since two British emissaries were beheaded in what is now Uzbekistan, rumors swirling around Britain’s current man in Tashkent suggest that diplomatic service in Central Asia remains perilous.
Observers report a series of crises at Britain’s embassy in Uzbekistan since the former Soviet republic agreed in 2001 to act as a launch pad for US-led military operations in neighboring Afghanistan.
Some hailed this as a US victory over Moscow reminiscent of the “Great Game” — a cloak-and-dagger contest played out by the British and Russian empires amid this remote region’s treacherous sands in the 19th century.
But Britain’s ambassador to Tashkent Craig Murray has been critical of the new alliance — and as a result has been the target of unsavory accusations by those in London anxious not to upset the United States, his supporters say.
Recently several members of Tashkent’s foreign business and diplomatic community urged Britain’s Foreign Secretary Jack Straw to halt alleged efforts to remove Murray from his post.
Murray, a 44-year-old Scot considered unusually flamboyant by current diplomatic standards, has recently left for London on what Carl Garn, the embassy’s deputy head, called a “medical journey.”
People close to Murray say that he has been hospitalized after becoming depressed when London launched an investigation into his conduct and barred him from the embassy.
The Foreign Office, however, said that Murray remains in his post, despite a claim to the contrary by an Uzbek Foreign Ministry spokesman.
“Craig Murray remains the British ambassador to Tashkent and he has not been suspended,” a British Foreign Office spokeswoman said. It was last October that Murray, in the presence of US Ambassador John Herbs, appeared to imply that the United States was playing down the repressive regime of its new strategic partner, Uzbek President Islam Karimov.
Murray highlighted evidence that Uzbekistan’s authorities had killed two among the thousands of political and religious prisoners by immersing them in boiling water.
And he echoed criticism that Uzbekistan’s suppression of peaceful opposition and systematic use of torture could drive some to terrorist acts.
“Uzbekistan is not a functioning democracy, nor does it appear to be moving in the direction of democracy... no government has the right to use the war against terrorism as an excuse for persecution of those with a deep personal commitment to (Islam) and who pursue their views by peaceful means,” Murray said.
In a recent pre-emptive letter to Straw, 15 leading expatriates in Uzbekistan defended Murray, saying that he had “promoted British culture and political ideals to an extent not previously known here and increased British prestige.”
“The common belief is that Mr. Murray is being sacrificed to the Americans,” James McCrery, a Tashkent businessman close to the Murray family, told AFP. “The US Embassy makes no effort to conceal its dislike of the way he repeatedly and unequivocally slams (the region’s) human rights record.”
Murray’s supporters highlight his openness and efficiency upon starting work in Tashkent in summer 2002, particularly in resolving a festering scandal over a British Embassy official whose dog was allegedly involved in what the Uzbek Foreign Ministry spokesman called “very serious” attacks on local residents.
The British diplomat concerned has “resigned from the diplomatic service while an investigation into allegations about his conduct was under way,” the British Foreign Office spokeswoman said.
Murray may be confident of avoiding the fate of British Army officers Charles Stoddard and Arthur Connolly, executed by the emir of Bukhara in 1842. But for some, his intolerance of cant and hypocrisy and his high-spiritedness outside office hours guarantee him a rough ride ahead.
“Everyone seems to have heard a story — and there’s no smoke without fire,” a Tashkent resident said.
Contacted at a London hospital, Murray declined to comment.
