WASHINGTON - Congressman Harold Ford supported legislation that passed the House today requesting full rights for Sanjar Umarov, a democracy activist imprisoned by the government of Uzbekistan. Ford is an original cosponsor of the bill.Umarov is the leader of the main opposition party in Uzbekistan. He has been vocally critical of the government of President Islam Karimov, the former Communist Party official who has ruled Uzbekistan since it became independent in 1991. President Karimov's record on human rights and press freedom has been met with broad criticism in the international community.
"I am very concerned about the well-being of Mr. Umarov. He has been imprisoned in Uzbekistan without due process for almost two months now," Ford said. "I call on the government of Uzbekistan to publicly clarify the charges against Mr. Umarov and ensure he is accorded the full measure of his rights under the Uzbek constitution."
Umarov's family currently resides in Germantown, Tennessee. Two of his five children are graduates of the University of Memphis.
