UNITED NATIONS, September 7 -- As the UN bragged of counter terrorism on Tuesday, its envoy to Central Asia Miroslav Jenca dodged questions about use and misuse of the label of terrorist in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, and the first suicide car bombing in Central Asia, last week in Tajikistan.
Inner City Press asked Jenca what he and his Regional Office in Turkmenistan are doing to protect the rights of ethnic Uzbeks chased by pogroms into Uzbekistan, only to be detained by the government of Islam Karimov as terrorists?
Even before Jenca could reply, the UN's helpful director of Counter Terrorism Jean-Paul Laborde cut in to remind that human rights are the domain of High Commissioner Pillay, and Jenca need not answer. He did not. Video here.
But the protection of human rights, on paper, is the Fourth Pillar of the UN's “Counter Terrorism Strategy.” Of course, the UN can't even define terrorism. But they sense a freight or gravy train moving on the concept, and so they get on board (or Laborde, as one wag put it.)
For months the UN had dodged on the question of whether Jenca and his office are involved in the investigation of the causes of the violence in southern Kyrgyzstan. Tuesday Inner City Press asked Jenca himself. He said this is beyond the mandate of his office.
Since his office is hardly involved in the major issue of water wars between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, what exactly is he doing? Watch this site.
