Officials See Slander in Uzbek Photos, but Artists See Censorship
Author: Ellen Barry
Published: February 10, 2010
A photographer and filmmaker by the name of Umida Akhmedova, was convicted of slandering and insulting the Uzbek people. The government complaints declared that the photos were unflattering to the country and depicted it as poor, grim, and sour. She was set up to get three years in prison, but the judge gave her an amnesty instead, in honor of the Uzbek independence.
With the charges came many protests from fellow photographers and artists. They started petitions in Ms. Akhmedova’s defense and sent her work to Belarus and Russia, to be put in exhibits. Daniil Kislov is the editor in chief to the website that has been following the case. He declared that the case was a warning to photographers and artists that they need to show Uzbekistan the way the government wants it to be seen. He also said that the people really care about opinions.
This article influences you to think about your own government. For instance, what do you think would happen if a photographer took pictures that depicted poor education, illness due to bad health care, or homeless families due to small amounts of jobs? It would cause controversy.
If you want to learn about this topic, check out CNN or other reliable news sources.
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