As Ferghana.Ru has already reported, Uzbek journalist Ruslan Sharipov is a political immigrant living in the United States. Much to his surprise, Sharipov encountered problems in this country. The US Immigration Service cannot (or wouldn't) legalize the Uzbek dissenter.

Sharipov wrote an open letter to the US president.

***

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20500

Mr. George W. Bush,

Persecuted by the Uzbek authorities, I left my native country in 2004 and came to the United States as a refugee.

Along with other problems I encountered, the US Homeland Security informed me on two occasions that the Green Card might be denied.

Sharipov was born in an Uzbek family in Bukhara.

His awards:

Golden Pen Award'2004 of the World Association of Newspapers;

Freedom To Write Award'2004;

Awards and grants of Human Rights Watch, Hellman/Hammett, IWPR, CPJ

Harassed and persecuted by the Uzbek authorities, Sharipov obtained political asylum in the United States in October 2004