Last week, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) finally landed an organizer for the Christmas World Championship in blitz and rapid chess. The choice fell on the city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan. The award surprises few, but causes several to react. Among them Fide champion and chess coach Yosha Iglesias. She is furious that Fide is once again giving a prestigious championship to what Iglesias describes as “an authoritarian regime”. – Fide chooses these countries because it is easier to find money there, and because Fide is a Russian tool for soft power and Russia often has a special bond with these countries, she believes. “Homophily is Uzbek” For Iglesias, the assignment to Uzbekistan hurts extra for personal reasons. According to her, who identifies as a trans woman, she would risk a prison sentence if she visited the country with her boyfriend. – I am horrified and deeply saddened by the anti-LGBT laws in Uzbekistan, says Iglesias. Sex between men is criminal under the country’s laws, and several homosexual men are in prison in Uzbekistan today. According to Human Rights Watch, it is not unusual for gay men to be harassed and blackmailed for money in exchange for their identity not being revealed. EXPERT: Ivar Dale of the Helsinki Committee. Photo: n20713 / n20713 – I have been to a UN hearing in Geneva where the Uzbek leader explained that homosexuality is Uzbek. It is literally forbidden and gay people have to stay hidden because they know what can happen. They are forced underground to live unhappy lives, says Ivar Dale, senior specialist adviser at the Helsinki Committee. The situation is not good for female homosexuals either, but sexual relations between women are not prohibited by law. Several human rights organizations also point out that Uzbekistan also has a very checkered record in relation to other rights, such as strong restrictions on freedom of expression, freedom of religion and freedom of the press. – I have great compassion for everyone in the LGBT community who, whether they are in prison, are threatened, blackmailed, mistreated, or forced to hide their identity. Something that often happens, says Iglesias, who believes that the constant awarding of championships to countries with anti-LGBT laws forces queer chess players to remain in the closet. news has asked the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and the Uzbek authorities for a comment on the criticism and allegations that appear in this article, but has not received a reply. Russian influence? After the awarding of the World Chess Championship, several people have pointed to the strong bond between Uzbekistan and Russia, which is still waging war in Ukraine. Russia has long been a powerful player in chess, and is still ruled by President Arkady Dvorkovich. – It is problematic that Fide still has a Russian president and management. It is not a professional system, which means that organizers are reluctant to apply for championships and sponsors are afraid of bad PR and exposure, says news’s chess expert Torstein Bae. CHESS EXPERT: Torstein Bae. Photo: Lars Bryne / Lars Bryne At the same time, he believes that it is not unnatural for Uzbekistan to host the WC, as it is a country with long chess traditions. In 2021 at the latest, the super talent Nodirbek Abdusattorov (19) won the World Championship in rapid chess. – We have previously experienced organisers, such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar, where there is little local interest and no local players at a high level. Uzbekistan is a major power in the world of chess, and the WC will be hosted in a famous city, says Bae. “Wonder who recently opened a consulate in Samarkand?” wrote Magnus Carlsen’s coach Peter Heine Nielsen on X/Twitter, knowing that an agreement was signed between Russia and Uzbekistan last month. Dale points out that Uzbekistan traditionally has less strong ties to Russia compared to other former Soviet states, but that the powerful trading partner in the north has a great influence on the Uzbeks’ economy. After the outbreak of war, he and the Helsinki Committee noticed a worrying trend. – After sanctions were introduced against Russia, many Russians set up shell companies at empty company addresses in, among other places, Uzbekistan in order to route the money via the country. This is to avoid sanctions. It is a serious problem that European companies sell things via Uzbekistan to Russia and that Russian companies export that way. HUG: Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev gives Russian President Vladimir Putin a good hug. They met on 13 October. Photo: AFP From hope to disappointment Islam Karimov ruled Uzbekistan with an iron fist from the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 until his death in 2016. The regime received massive criticism after the massacre in Andijan in 2005 and was subject to major international sanctions. Karimov responded by closing the country to the rest of the world community, and gradually the economy got worse and worse. Shavkat Mirzijoyev emerged victorious from the power struggle after Karimov’s death. He took steps to bring the country out of complete isolation. – With the country’s reputation for human rights, it has been impossible for Western organizations to invest in the country. That is why they have done a couple of big things, such as releasing many journalists and other political prisoners from prison, and inviting foreign human rights organizations to visit, says Dale. In May, constitutional amendments were made which mean that Mirziyojev can in theory sit as president until 2040. This summer he was re-elected for seven new years with 87 per cent of the vote. – Now the disappointment has gradually become great, because we see that Mirzijojev is only about to become a new president for life in the region, says Dale. He believes Uzbekistan is once again becoming a typical post-Soviet authoritarian regime, without free media and great pressure on independent journalists who try to write critically about the authorities. This is where things really go wrong 01:01 Bodø/Glimt series champion 00:51 Laughing after the competition: – I regret everything I’ve said 01:38 Oskar Westerlin: – Then test me! 01:02 Show more
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