ABSTRACT
The opposition parties in Uzbekistan have been clamped down on and the US state department has revealed significant abuses of human rights. President Islam Karimov argues that restrictions on opposition parties are necessary to prevent the spread of Islamic fundamentalism. On 21 January 1993 the supreme court suspended the activities of Birlik (the main Uzbek nationalist opposition party) for three months (FEER, Asia 1994 Yearbook, 1994, p. 112). The Birlik (Unity) Popular Movement (formerly the Democratic Party of Uzbekistan) has still not been allowed to register as a political party (The Economist, 15 May 1993, p. 88). The Erq (Will) opposition party is legal, but has been harassed (The Times, 26 May 1993, p. 12).
