ウズベキスタンの大富豪とアーセナルと元大使のブログと言論封殺

金曜日のメディア・ガーディアン。ちょっとおもしろおかしく書いてるけど、これこわいよ。ウズベキスタン生まれ・ロシア国籍の大富豪が法律事務所経由で圧力かけてクレイグ・マレーのサイトを閉鎖させたらしい。で、同じホスティング会社を使っていたことで、ボリス・ジョンソン（保守党議員）とかティム・アイルランド（Bloggerheads）とかのサイトも閲覧できなくなった。って、ここでボリス・ジョンソンが出てくるのですっかりお笑い記事風味なのだが。

Boris website down after legal row
Chris Tryhorn
Friday September 21, 2007
http://media.guardian.co.uk/newmedia/story/0,,2174406,00.html

"This is London, not Uzbekistan," the former Spectator editor and MP for Henley-on-Thames said.

すっごい普通のことなんだけど、ボリス・ジョンソンが言うだけでお笑いになるのはなぜだろう。

まあそんなことはいい。事件（？）の概要は下記の通り。

大富豪でアーセナルの大株主でもある（ううう。。。）Alisher Usmanovの代理人であるSchillings弁護士事務所が法的措置に出て（←初期の錯綜した情報に基づいて書いたための誤り。正式には動いていないらしい）、元ウズベキスタン大使で、大使時代に見聞したことや調査したことをまとめた書籍（この書籍はマイケル・ウィンターボトムが映画化する）において「テロとの戦い」の名目でますます強権的な政治を行なっているウズベキスタンの現状を告発するなどしているクレイグ・マレーのブログ、http://www.craigmurray.co.uk/を閉鎖させた。

ウズベキスタンについてとかクレイグ・マレーについてとかはまあ改めてゆっくりというところだが、私のRSSリーダーでもhttp://www.craigmurray.co.uk/ が「HTTP 500で取得できません」になっていて（19日）、「あれ、サイト落ちたか」と思っていたのだけど――クラスター爆弾をめぐって英国がまた二枚舌に出ているらしいという記事があって読みたかったのだが読めず――まさかこんなことになっていたとは。というのが先週の金曜日だ。

問題となったのは、2007年８月のうちの……もとい、アーセナルFCの株式取得（これすっげーがっかりなんだけど、デイヴィッド・デインが可能にしたんだよな。orz そこまでするか）をめぐるUsmanov氏の疑惑、という記事を今年９月マリーが書いたことだそうだ。当該の記事は弁護士の介入で削除せざるを得なかったとのことで今はもう読めないのだが、その後さらに圧力があってサイト閉鎖となったとのこと。しかもホスティング会社が強制閉鎖。ひでー。

で、マリーと同じホスティング会社を使っていて巻き添えを食らったのが：
・ボリス・ジョンソン　http://www.boris-johnson.com/ ←まだつながらない
・ボブ・パイパー（労働党所属のバーミンガム市議会議員）　http://bobpiper.co.uk/　←復活

この２人はウズベキスタンの大富豪について何も書いていなくて、ただ巻き添えを食らっただけ。

というわけで、ボリス・ジョンソンの怒りのコメント、「ここはロンドンであって、ウズベキスタンではない」が出た、という次第。「言論の自由に対する重大な侵害である」とか、「大富豪の鶴の一声でウェブサイトが消されてしまうなどまったく信じがたい」とか、「ネットでのコミュニケーションがますます重要になっている世の中だというのに」とか、まさに正論。（でもなぜか、ボリス・ジョンソンだというだけで笑えるから、メディアによる刷り込みって怖いわねぇ。）

またボブ・パイパーさんは、自分ではUsmanov氏について一言も書いていないのになぜ自分のところまで閉鎖されるのか、意味がわからないというコメントをしている。これもまさに正論。

で、もう１件、閉鎖になったのが：
・ティム・アイルランド　http://www.bloggerheads.com/
（※別のブログ、http://www.backingblair.co.uk/　は稼動しているが、これはもう更新停止になってるしなあ。。。）

この人はボリス・ジョンソンがブログを始めたときにかかわったマーケティング屋さんでもあるが、アンチ・ブレア、アンチ・ブッシュのキャンペーンで有名。私も2004年とか2005年にはこの人のところでいろいろな話を読んでいた。

で、メディア・ガーディアンではスルーしているが、Wikipediaによると：

The move to remove Murray's posting led to other blogs reproducing the article. On 20 September 2007, Bloggerheads.com, the weblog of Tim Ireland was taken down for reproducing Murray's article.

とのことで、つまりはティム・アイルランドはクレイグ・マレーの記事をコピペして掲載していたらしい。ということは bloggerheads.com はしばらく閉鎖か！

で、こういうときはブログはわーっと動くよね、アイルランドの友人のChickenYogurtが20日にいち早く報じ、ここに著名ブログ参集。Boing Boingまで。。。（なぜか）
http://www.chickyog.net/2007/09/20/public-service-announcement/

で、ChickenYogurtのところからインディメディア（マレーのブログの記事をコピペしてインディメディアに掲載したもののURL集）を参照すると……うはぁ、これじゃあまるで映画Boratのセリフだ！（Boratはウズベキスタンではありません。カザフスタンですが。）

なんか、事情を知れば知るほどあったま来るんでバナー。うちのサイドバーにも貼り付けてやる。きーっ。私からティム・アイルランドのブログを読む権利を奪い、ボリス・ジョンソンのブログを読む権利を奪い、クレイグ・マレーのブログを読む権利を奪い、彼らの言論を封殺するとは！
http://www.ministryoftruth.org.uk/2007/09/23/its-banner-time/
　　

きーっ。アーセナルはそんなことをする奴なんかに買われたくありません。しかもこれ！

Last week the Guardian reported that Schillings had warned several independent Arsenal supporters' websites and blogs to remove postings referring to Mr Murray's allegations. (Media Guardian)

今回の件について、ホスティング会社のコメント：

Fasthosts Internet confirmed that Mr Johnson's site was disabled as part of a clampdown on a separate web address.

"Where concerns are raised to us about a website, such as in this case, in accordance with our normal procedures, we will investigate the website content," the company said in a statement.

"In this case, we examined a website for potentially defamatory material and communicated to the customer that they had indeed breached the terms and conditions for Fasthosts Internet hosting.

"The customer was repeatedly advised of the breach and upon failing to permanently remove the content in question.

"Their customer account was terminated, the unfortunate result being the possible downtime of other unrelated websites ... of which we understand boris-johnson.com was one."

Responsibility for the content of websites lay solely with their owners and publishers, the company added.

(Media Guardian)

きーっ。血圧がどんどん上がる。

しかも、このホスティング会社、「専用プラン」みたいなので特定の顧客（Clive）に貸したサーバに他のサイトをホスティングしてたの？　わけわかんない。

でもこれでボリス・ジョンソンのような大物が巻き込まれていなかったら（ティム・アイルランドもクレイグ・マレーも基本的には「いちブロガー」だ）、こういう「騒ぎ」にはなっていなかったわけだ。人間万事塞翁が馬（ということなのだろうか）。

とりあえず、ぷーちーぷー政権ともべったりの「ロシアの大富豪」がガナの大株主になるなんて。しかもこういうふうに圧力をかけるなんて。ウィンターボトムの映画だって危ぶまれる。あたしゃそんなのいやです。(T T)

# それぞれのサイトのデータは無事だそうです。

クレイグ・マレーのブログのキャッシュ：
October 30, 2005
Opposition leader tortured with drugs

This transaction was an important stage in the peculiar business dealings between Russia and the Karimov family, which culminated in last November's deal to allocate the bulk of Uzbekistan's natural gas reserves to Gazprom. This deal was negotiated between Gulnara Karimova and Alisher Usmanov, the Uzbek born Russian oligarch who bought a substantial number of shares in Corus, the British steel company. Usmanov is also a Director of Gazprom responsible for their affairs in the former Soviet Union outside Russia.

Gulnara received a large cash payment - $88 million, according to my sources – on completion of the Gazpron deal, with further payments to come as gas is exported. Alisher Usmanov gave Putin a sweetener of 40% of the shares in Mapo Bank, an important Russian business bank with a close relationship to several blue chip western firms operating in Russia. The shares were made over to Piotr Jastrejebski, Putin’s private secretary who was a college friend of Alisher Usmanov and shared a flat with him.

This web is closely associated with Karimov's succession strategy. He is desperate for Gulnara to succeed him, and the cash and Russian support is building up her power base. Some sort of Alisher Usmanov/Gulnara Karimova alliance is Karimov's first choice to take over, in six or seven years time. This is the background to the diplomatic revolution of the last six months, with Karimov abandoning the US and turning back to the embrace of Mother Russia. ...

---

この件についてのポータルはChickenYogurtです。
http://www.chickyog.net/2007/09/20/public-service-announcement/

経緯は下記も非常によくまとまっています。
http://golmal.pickledpolitics.com/2007/09/21/bloggers-united-against-alisher-usmanov/

---

追記：
ロストロポーヴィチの絵画コレクションを買い占められるだけの財力のある大富豪が、カネにものを言わせて（ってのもすごくいやだけど）圧力、というよりも、あからさまに言論封殺という手段に出ているこの現状、ほんとに絶望的だが、クレイグ・マレーの消された文書を掲載している人もいる。
http://johnbrissenden.wordpress.com/2007/09/22/stand-up-for-free-speech/

Let's be clear. This is not about bloggers enjoying an untrammelled right to smear the innocent. Unlike most of us, Usmanov has the resources to seek legal remedy against Craig Murray. It is about resisting the idea among the rich and powerful that they can bully ISPs into closing down your site and mine, on the basis of nothing more than a threatening letter. Chicken Yoghurt is doing a sterling job rallying bloggers about the affair.

If you think this is an important matter of principle - whatever your political or sporting affiliations - join the growing list of sites spreading the word. Meanwhile, for background, I reproduce Murray's original post below:

Alisher Usmanov, potential Arsenal chairman, is a Vicious Thug, Criminal, Racketeer, Heroin Trafficker and Accused Rapist

I thought I should make my views on Alisher Usmanov quite plain to you. You are unlikely to see much plain talking on Usmanov elsewhere in the media becuase he has already used his billions and his lawyers in a pre-emptive strike. They have written to all major UK newspapers, including the latter:

"Mr Usmanov was imprisoned for various offences under the old Soviet regime. We wish to make it clear our client did not commit any of the offences with which he was charged. He was fully pardoned after President Mikhail Gorbachev took office. All references to these matters have now been expunged from police records . . . Mr Usmanov does not have any criminal record."

Let me make it quite clear that Alisher Usmanov is a criminal. He was in no sense a political prisoner, but a gangster and racketeer who rightly did six years in jail. The lawyers cunningly evoke "Gorbachev", a name respected in the West, to make us think that justice prevailed. That is completely untrue.

Usmanov's pardon was nothing to do with Gorbachev. It was achieved through the growing autonomy of another thug, President Karimov, at first President of the Uzbek Soviet Socilist Republic and from 1991 President of Uzbekistan. Karimov ordered the "Pardon" because of his alliance with Usmanov's mentor, Uzbek mafia boss and major international heroin overlord Gafur Rakimov. Far from being on Gorbachev's side, Karimov was one of the Politburo hardliners who had Gorbachev arrested in the attempted coup that was thwarted by Yeltsin standing on the tanks outside the White House.

Usmanov is just a criminal whose gangster connections with one of the World’s most corrupt regimes got him out of jail. He then plunged into the "privatisation" process at a time when gangster muscle was used to secure physical control of assets, and the alliance between the Russian Mafia and Russian security services was being formed.

Usmanov has two key alliances. He is very close indeed to President Karimov, and especially to his daughter Gulnara. It was Usmanov who engineered the 2005 diplomatic reversal in which the United States was kicked out of its airbase in Uzbekistan and Gazprom took over the country's natural gas assets. Usmanov, as chairman of Gazprom Investholdings paid a bribe of $88 million to Gulnara Karimova to secure this. This is set out on page 366 of Murder in Samarkand.

Alisher Usmanov had risen to chair of Gazprom Investholdings because of his close personal friendship with Putin, He had accessed Putin through Putin's long time secretary and now chef de cabinet, Piotr Jastrzebski. Usmanov and Jastrzebski were roommates at college. Gazprominvestholdings is the group that handles Gazproms interests outside Russia, Usmanov's role is, in effect, to handle Gazprom’s bribery and sleaze on the international arena, and the use of gas supply cuts as a threat to uncooperative satellite states.

Gazprom has also been the tool which Putin has used to attack internal democracy and close down the independent media in Russia. Gazprom has bought out - with the owners having no choice - the only independent national TV station and numerous rgional TV stations, several radio stations and two formerly independent national newspapers. These have been changed into slavish adulation of Putin. Usmanov helped accomplish this through Gazprom. The major financial newspaper, Kommersant, he bought personally. He immediately replaced the editor-in-chief with a pro-Putin hack, and three months later the long-serving campaigning defence correspondent, Ivan Safronov, mysteriously fell to his death from a window.

All this, both on Gazprom and the journalist's death, is set out in great detail here:
http://www.craigmurray.co.uk/archives/2007/06/russian_journal.html

Usmanov is also dogged by the widespread belief in Uzbekistan that he was guilty of a particularly atrocious rape, which was covered up and the victim and others in the know disappeared. The sad thing is that this is not particularly remarkable. Rape by the powerful is an everyday hazard in Uzbekistan, again as outlined in Murder in Samarkand page 120. If anyone has more detail on the specific case involving Usmanov please add a comment.

I reported back in 2002 or 2003 in an Ambassadorial top secret telegram to the Foreign Office that Usmanov was the most likely favoured successor of President Karimov as totalitarian leader of Uzbekistan. I also outlined the Gazprom deal (before it happened) and the present by Usmanov to Putin (though in Jastrzebski’s name) of half of Mapobank, a Russian commercial bank owned by Usmanov. I will never forget the priceless reply from our Embassy in Moscow. They said that they had never even heard of Alisher Usmanov, and that Jastrzebski was a jolly nice friend of the Ambassador who would never do anything crooked.

Sadly, I expect the football authorities will be as purblind. Football now is about nothing but money, and even Arsenal supporters - as tight-knit and homespun a football community as any - can be heard saying they don't care where the money comes from as long as they can compete with Chelsea.

I fear that is very wrong. Letting as diseased a figure as Alisher Usmanov into your club can only do harm in the long term.

※この記事は

2007年09月24日

にアップロードしました。
1年も経ったころには、書いた本人の記憶から消えているかもしれません。

Comments

この次の記事（下記URL）もあわせてどうぞ。
http://nofrills.seesaa.net/article/57244196.html

Posted by nofrills at 2007年09月26日 07:48