Autobiography

                                        

                          

                                Biography

Safar Bekjan (Bekchanov Saparbay) was born in 1961, on September 30, in Kharazm region of the Republic of Uzbekistan. His ancestors and family members were persecuted, exiled and murdered as “People’s enemy” by exSoviet government. The repression which has started against his family in 1924 is continued by Islam Karimov’s dictatorial regime so far. His two uncles were shot by Stalin’s “Troyka” and another two had been exiled to Siberia which was fatal for either of them.

He was educated and grown personally by his grandfather Bekjan Bek who was under constant surveillance by Soviet KGB for his ideological enmity to communism. That very man Bekjon Bek played crucial role in Safar’s education and from him he has learnt to be intolerant toward communism and Marxism. His grand grandfather whose name was Nizamiddin Gurganji used to hold the second highest position, Grand Vizier, in Bukhara Amir’s reign.

Safar Bekjan’s loath to former Soviet empire was based on deep knowledge as he was grown and educated under strong influence of literature and materials which described Soviet’s country as “Evil Empire”. Since his early 14s he started to write poetry in which he tried to unveil bloody face of the “Evil Empire”. In 1979 he was accepted to correspondence faculty of journalism of Tashkent State University. He was expelled from that University soon due to his overt criticism of Lenin for his nasty saying about Turkistani people. When Soviets took the power in Russian Empire Lenin said: “Communism brought liberty for Turkistani people who have been living as an animal for centuries” and openly challenging to that words, which were said by the founding father of Soviet’s country, ended for Safar tragically.

In 1983 Safar Bekjan entered the Uzbek Literature Faculty of Pedagogical Institute and in 1985 he publicly supported ethnic Crimean Tartar students’ hunger strike against Soviets at the same Institute. Due to his overt support of anticommunist movement and hunger strike he had been expelled from his Institution for the second time and even his property, including house, had been confiscated. Aftermath he was arrested and accused in supporting and implementing anticommunist propaganda. He was released from confinement with the involvement of his grandfather and under condition of not living nor inhabiting in big cities across the Soviet Union. Virtually, it was an exile of young dissident whose lone challenge to communism was punished ruthlessly. He was pardoned with Gorbachev’s “Glasnost” policy in 1987 and returned to Tashkent from deserted area of inner Central Asia.

From 1988 prominent representatives of Uzbek youth movement for liberty started gathering around him. In 1989 he was offered a position in Youths’ Movement of Uzbekistan and begun working as financial and organizational executive at that Movement. During his years at that Movement he was invited to work for Uzbek government. In 1989’s autumn then first secretary of communist party of Uzbekistan current president/dictator Islam Karimov personally conducted meeting with him and offered position to Safar Bekjan at his administration which was rejected by Mr. Bekjan. After rejecting the offer of most omnipotent person in Uzbekistan he has faced to great obstacles.

He is the co-founder of Birlik Liberation movement and “Erk” Democratic Party of Uzbekistan. Due to his dynamic political activities he was arrested with fabricated case by Uzbek police and intelligence service and severely tortured. Current head of state of Uzbekistan dictator Karimov personally ordered his punishment and even execution and under the pressure and open threat to his life he was compelled to leave Uzbekistan in 1997, February. Mr. Bekjan came to Moscow but Uzbek regime continued to persecute him and he was forced to leave the Russia too. As a well-known writer and member of PEN-International in 1998 he was invited to Lausanne, Switzerland and since then he has been living in Switzerland. For the last decade Karimov’s regime has not stopped persecuting the Mr. Bekjan’s family, his brothers are sentenced for prison with fabricated accusations and his little brother mysteriously died in prison. Although Safar Bekjan is living under constant persecution by Uzbek regime, he managed to write several scientific and literary books and two monographs. He still remains loyal to the principles of liberty, democracy and continues to fight against dictatorial regime in Uzbekistan. Moreover, he worked as an expert for UN’s commission on human rights. In 2010 Mr. Bekjan founded democratic fund of Uzbekistan the “UzDemFund”. In 2011 he made a query to Swiss Prosecution on money laundering matter of Karimov’s family. Today’s widely known money laundering scheme of Karimov family through Switzerland-Sweden-Finland-the UK, which was aired on Sweden National TV, virtually was started by Mr. Bekjan’s query and he is the person who put mile stone to that investigation.