Singer Lara Fabian Cancels Concert In Tashkent
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 24 October 2013 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Singer Lara Fabian Cancels Concert In Tashkent , 24 October 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/526fc25b4.html [accessed 21 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Belgian-Italian singer Lara Fabian has canceled a concert in Uzbekistan.
In a message on the social-networking website Facebook on October 24, Fabian said that she was shocked to discover that she was being used as a "shop window" for the Uzbek regime, which is accused of grave rights abuses, including torture.
Fabian added that she canceled the concert after discovering the cultural festival in Tashkent was organized by Gulnara Karimova, the eldest daughter of Uzbekistan's authoritarian ruler Islam Karimov.
Fabian said that she will never support regimes that flout basic human rights.
The 43-year-old singer said there was a difference between performing in authoritarian countries and participating in events directly controlled by rights abusers. Karimova started the festival in 2006.
