Dear All,
You may remember my asking help in the global campaign for release of PhD student Alexander Sodiqov, arrested in Tajikistan on charges of treason and espionage. Ales was doing research for an ESRC-funded UK-based research project, whilst conducting his PhD research out of Toronto. I am happy to report that Alexander, his wife Musharraf, and daughter Erica, were today safely reunited in Canada having travelled separately from Tajikistan this week. It all happened very quickly, beginning with new developments at the start of the week, but we needed to keep everything under wraps until all were safely back home. A day to rejoice! Thanks to everyone for hard work, letters to MPs and newspapers, singing our petition, encouragement, prayers, and solidarity.
I am certain this only happened because of a concerted international support on many levels, including diplomatic, sustained by Alex's supporters in universities worldwide. We can make a difference!
Peace - Nick
Dr Nick Megoran,
Lecturer in Political Geography,
GPS Office, 5th Floor, Claremont Tower, School of Geography, Politics
and Sociology,
Newcastle University,
United Kingdom NE1 7RU.
Tel: +44 191 222 6450
url: www.megoran.org
"In our time of wars, of national self-conceit, of national jealousies
and hatreds ably nourished by people who pursue their own egotistic,
personal or class interests, geography must be - in so far as the
school may do anything to counterbalance hostile influences - a means
of dissipating these prejudices and of creating other feelings more
worthy of humanity." Peter Kropotkin, 'What geography ought to be', 1885.
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