The U.S. Embassy in Tashkent welcomes the release of former editor of the “Erk” newspaper Muhammad Bekjanov after almost 18 years in prison. We are happy to see that he has been reunited with his family. We regard Mr. Bekanjov’s release as a positive step on the part of the government of Uzbekistan, and we urge Uzbekistan to continue to build on this momentum by releasing other long-held journalists, activists, and religious prisoners.
