Solovyov, Vladimir. "Islam Karimov Becomes a Eurasian". The Current Digest of the Russian Press, Vol.58, No.11 (2006): 5-6.

Solovyov, Vladimir. "Islam Karimov Becomes a Eurasian". The Current Digest of the Russian Press, Vol.58, No.11 (2006): 5-6.

• In March 2006, the Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that Islom Karimov had managed to deal a final blow to the domestic opposition in Uzbekistan. On March 1st and 6th, respectively, a Toshkent City court sentenced Nadira Xidoyatova and Sandjar Umarov, leaders of the opposition group known as the Sunshine Coalition, to 10 years imprisonment for creating an organized crime group, committing embezzlement on an especially large scale, tax evasion, bribery and forgery (5).
• The trail was closed to the public [something uncommon, but allowed under Uzbekistani law in contentious cases] and presided over by Judge Zakirdxon Isayev, the same judge who presided for all defendants arrested in association with the Andijon Incident (5).
• In a different case, but within the same general timeframe, prominent human rights activist Mutabar Tadjibayeva was sentenced to 8 years in prison (5).
• Uzbekistan has also been completing its campaign to remove all foreign NGOs from the country. The most recent casualties have been the Eurasia Foundation, forced to close after 12 years following accusations that it failed to provide authorities with information on payroll and employees (5), and Freedom House, closed on criminal charges following testimony from the Andijon trials that Freedom House had provided assistance in organizing the uprising (6).
• The Eurasian Foundation was a private American organization firm, partially supported by USAID, which provided grants and administrative assistance to civil society organizations in the former Soviet Union which advocated for democracy and reforms towards a market economy. 
• The impact of the Andijon Incident on civil society and media has been immense. Most Western NGOs have left the country, and Uzbekistani organizations found with US money are being shut down in droves -- regardless of associations with politics. In the same timespan the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has revoked the media accreditation of Radio Liberty, and harassed the Toshkent office of BBC until they closed (6).
• The Uzbekistani court system went into overdrive to process and jail all persons responsible for the Andijon Incident as quickly as possible. Over 160 people, directly or indirectly associated with events in May, when in jail by the start of 2006, demonstrating the accelerated judicial process (6).
• The author provides a narrative of Uzbekistan's trajectory between Russia and the US, based on balancing external enemies. When Russia was weak, President Karimov pursued strong ties with the US, allowed for the use of the Qarshi-Xanabad airbase, pointedly refused entry into the CTSO or EEU, and joined GUUAM. Now that the US is distant following Andijon, he has rejected the West and joined numerous pro-Russian organizations (6).