This article comes courtesy of Fergana News, a leading independent news outlet covering Central Asia.
Various people used to approach our human rights organisation, the Initiative Group of Independent Human Rights Defenders of Uzbekistan (IGNPU), to ask for help. Some thought they had only to enter my house for their troubles to miraculously disappear. They wouldn’t have to do anything more for themselves, just lie on a sofa watching TV, while we solved all their problems.
Others, on the other hand, wanted real help — information, moral support, legal advice — but were also ready to help themselves. Indeed, these people showed an enviable persistence and courage in defending their rights. And it was these people who tended to triumph over the odds.
