Uznews.net – The Expert Working Group, an analytical organisation that grouped journalists and human rights activists of Uzbekistan, has broken into pieces.

Several well-known human rights activists and journalists said they would leave the Expert Working Group, including activists of the Ezgulik human rights society, the Rapid Reaction Group and Tashkent-based journalist Husnutdin Kutbitdinov.

The group’s head Suhrob Ismailov, who worked for local and international human rights organisations in the past, showed his surprise that his former colleagues announced their decision in one day. He expressed the hope that those who remained in his organisation were not dancing to someone else’s tune.

In a move to pre-empt his leaving colleagues, he said that some of them had already been excluded from the Expert Working Group because they were members of the Rapid Reaction Group, so there was no need to announce their leave.

Ezgulik said that its withdrawal was prompted by the provision of its registration with the Uzbek Justice Ministry that prevented it from cooperating with unregistered organisations, like the Expert Working Group.

Meanwhile, independent journalist Husniddin Kutbitdinov explained to Uznews.net that he had left the organisation because, as a member, he could not cover its activities impartially.

“I did not want to become hostage to corporate solidarity,” Kutbitdinov explained. “As a member of the group, I lost the opportunity to assess its activities, which could lead to a conflict of interests.”

He stressed that his colleagues’ withdrawals from the group was not a plot to damage it and that membership was voluntary.

Asked whether this meant a split in the human rights society of Uzbekistan, Kutbitdinov said that the Expert Working Group had never been a human rights organisation, but an association of independent experts that aimed to draw the government’s attention to certain problems.

“Knowing that the main work to solve problems rests on the government, we wanted to let it know that for this it needs to hold a dialogue with civil society,” he said. “Separately we will not achieve anything in building civil society.”

Chairwoman of Ezgulik Vasilya Inoyatova does not either think that the split in the Expert Working Group means a split in the country’s human rights community. She said she would continue professional relations with the remaining members of the group.

“On behalf of Ezgulik, back in May 2009 we urged all human rights organisations of Uzbekistan to unite,” she said. “With the Expert Working Group we may still have common issues to work on.”