Getting away with murder

I used to tell people being trained to lead intercessions that while it was good to keep an eye on what is in the news to bring into public prayer what was on people's minds, we also had a duty to discover what was not making the news and also pray for those things. Our praying should not be led by Rupert Murdoch or even the BBC. So in that spirit I invite you to take notice of this: "Three months ago, there was a massacre in Andijan, in eastern Uzbekistan - a country which, even before the massacre, had become a byword for repression. On 13 May, the authorities slaughtered hundreds of protesters. There were no television cameras, and the Uzbek regime denied the massacre had taken place. The European Union called for an international inquiry, as did Kofi Annan and others. If Uzbekistan failed to co-operate by the end of the June, ministers said, strong measures would follow. It soon became clear that this was pure fiction. When foreign ministers met again in mid-July, under UK chairmanship, the tone was already more cautious. No deadlines or sanctions were agreed. Instead, ministers concluded that an EU partnership and co-operation agreement with Uzbekistan might (not would, but might) be reviewed. And that was it. Early talk of a possible arms embargo or a visa ban for senior Uzbek officials was abandoned."
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