Akrom Yo‘ldoshev
Encyclopedia
Akrom Yo‘ldoshev or Akramjon Yo‘ldoshev or Akram Yuldashev in Russian
: Акрам Юлдашев Akram Yuldashev, born in 1963) is the founder of Akromiya, an Islamist organization that operates in Uzbekistan
. The Uzbek government has designated and banned Akromiya as terrorist.
Yo‘ldoshev is a native of Andijan
, Uzbekistan
and was trained as an engineer. He worked as a math teacher and for a furniture company in Andijan, before forming Akromiya. In 1992 he published Yimonga Yul, a pamphlet advocating Islamic values that gained him support among the populace. Uzbek police arrested him in April, 1998 for possession of narcotics. A court sentenced him to 30 months imprisonment, but the government released him in December 1998 due to an amnesty. Police arrested him in February 1999, the day after the 1999 Tashkent bombings
that killed 16 people, accusing him of involvement. A court sentenced him to 17 years imprisonment for heading Akromiya.
Critics of the Uzbek government doubt that he is guilty of the charges against him. Scott Horton of the Columbia Law School
has said "There's nothing that involves a challenge to government." Alisher Ilkhamov, an Uzbek who is a sociologist at the University of London
, said "The government perceives any grass-roots movement with hostility, whether it's Islamic or not". These critics claim that "the fierce response to Yuldashev stems from the government's deep fear of any religious group that operates without official sanction".
In 2005, an armed uprising took place in Andijan. Among the demands was the release of Akrom Yo‘ldoshev. The Uzbek government cracked down, and several hundred civilians were killed in the Andijan massacre
that ended the uprising.
, United States
along with 52 other refugees since the Andijan massacre
in May 2005. Yo‘ldoshev has appeared on state-run television three times, apologizing for encouraging the unrest and telling refugees they should return to Uzbekistan. Yo‘ldosheva herself has asked the Uzbek government for permission to return, but has not yet received an answer. His wife has denied Yo‘ldoshev has any ties to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
, a militant organization affiliated with Al-Qaeda
, or Hizb ut-Tahrir
, another Islamist organization.
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
: Акрам Юлдашев Akram Yuldashev, born in 1963) is the founder of Akromiya, an Islamist organization that operates in Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
. The Uzbek government has designated and banned Akromiya as terrorist.
Yo‘ldoshev is a native of Andijan
Andijan
Andijan or Andizhan is the fourth-largest city in Uzbekistan, and the capital of the Andijan Province. It is located in the east of the country, at , in the Fergana Valley, near the border with Kyrgyzstan on the Andijan-Say River...
, Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
and was trained as an engineer. He worked as a math teacher and for a furniture company in Andijan, before forming Akromiya. In 1992 he published Yimonga Yul, a pamphlet advocating Islamic values that gained him support among the populace. Uzbek police arrested him in April, 1998 for possession of narcotics. A court sentenced him to 30 months imprisonment, but the government released him in December 1998 due to an amnesty. Police arrested him in February 1999, the day after the 1999 Tashkent bombings
1999 Tashkent bombings
The 1999 Tashkent bombings occurred on 16 February when six explosives exploded in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. The bombs exploded over the course of an hour and a half, and targeted multiple government buildings. Though six explosives were detonated, it is believed that five were a...
that killed 16 people, accusing him of involvement. A court sentenced him to 17 years imprisonment for heading Akromiya.
Critics of the Uzbek government doubt that he is guilty of the charges against him. Scott Horton of the Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
has said "There's nothing that involves a challenge to government." Alisher Ilkhamov, an Uzbek who is a sociologist at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, said "The government perceives any grass-roots movement with hostility, whether it's Islamic or not". These critics claim that "the fierce response to Yuldashev stems from the government's deep fear of any religious group that operates without official sanction".
In 2005, an armed uprising took place in Andijan. Among the demands was the release of Akrom Yo‘ldoshev. The Uzbek government cracked down, and several hundred civilians were killed in the Andijan massacre
Andijan massacre
The Andijan massacre occurred when Uzbek Interior Ministry and National Security Service troops fired into a crowd of protesters in Andijan, Uzbekistan on 13 May 2005. Estimates of those killed on 13 May range from between 187, the official count of the government, and 5,000 people, with most...
that ended the uprising.
Family
His wife, Yodgoroy Yo‘ldosheva, has lived in Boise, IdahoBoise, Idaho
Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
along with 52 other refugees since the Andijan massacre
Andijan massacre
The Andijan massacre occurred when Uzbek Interior Ministry and National Security Service troops fired into a crowd of protesters in Andijan, Uzbekistan on 13 May 2005. Estimates of those killed on 13 May range from between 187, the official count of the government, and 5,000 people, with most...
in May 2005. Yo‘ldoshev has appeared on state-run television three times, apologizing for encouraging the unrest and telling refugees they should return to Uzbekistan. Yo‘ldosheva herself has asked the Uzbek government for permission to return, but has not yet received an answer. His wife has denied Yo‘ldoshev has any ties to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan is a militant Islamist group formed in 1991 by the Islamic ideologue Tahir Yuldashev, and former Soviet paratrooper Juma Namangani—both ethnic Uzbeks from the Fergana Valley...
, a militant organization affiliated with Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
, or Hizb ut-Tahrir
Hizb ut-Tahrir
Hizb ut-Tahrir is an international Sunni. pan-Islamic political organisation but keeps it open for all including shias,some of its beliefs are against sunni school of thought, whose goal is for all Muslim countries to unify as an Islamic state or caliphate ruled by Islamic law and with a caliph...
, another Islamist organization.