BBC cravenly scuttles from Karimov

You won't find news about the Blackberryless senior power execs (previous post) on the BBC ( except they report Scottish MSP's have them, and the Speaker of the House of Commons has banned MP's using them in the House) but you will find the BBC (AKA Foreign Office State Broadcasting Service) has backed down and is suspending its newsgathering operations in the Central Asian state of Uzbekistan due to "security concerns."

All local staff are being withdrawn and the office in the capital Tashkent will close for at least six months pending a decision on its long term future.(Guradian today)

Regional Head Behrouz Afagh said the staff had been harassed and intimidated in recent months, making it difficult for them to do their job.

In June, the World Service correspondent, Monica Whitlock, was forced to leave Tashkent by the Uzbek government.

Two local staff members have since been granted refugee status by the United Nations.

That must give enormous encouragment to the opposition to "Boil in the Bag" dictator Karimov ... let's just hope that he keeps up sending on the deatils of his cookery experiments so Jack "The Torturers Friend" Straw can keep up to date with "The War on Terror" ... having spent all last week with "The Whore on Terror".

Might one ask what the Tashkent Ambassador is doing ? His website is silent, as is the FCO, Jack Straw in announcing closure of ten (now EU) foreign language services yesterday, didn't mention Uzbekistan.

FCO Minister , ex screaming Trot, My Lord Triesman, reviewing overseas consular services did say yesterday:

'British Governments have long put the task of protecting our citizens abroad at the top of their priorities.

He should have word in his boss's ear.

By the way, if you want to read Ms Manningham Buller's (capo di capo MI6) evidence about getting information by TORTURE ...er..er detainee reporting,Channel 4 have it under FOI at this site WARNING ... do not let children read this, and make sure your breakfast has settled.


Recent blogs on same topic here