Sting's Concert in Uzbekistan Stings Human Rights Activists

In addition to his music, Sting is known for his support of human rights and environmental causes, but one of his recent concerts is leading some activists to question his record. The former member of The Police performed a concert in Uzbekistan for Gulnara Karimov, the daughter of Islam Karimov, the ruler of Uzbekistan.

Gulnara is a businesswoman and socialite who has recently stepped into the music industry herself, performing under the name GooGoosha. Unfortunately, her excessive spending and unsavory business dealings landed her on Foreign Policy magazine's list of "The World's Worst Daughters." Her father is widely labeled a dictator who benefits from the sale of the country's resources while most of the population lives in poverty. The world became aware of Karimov's brutality in 2005 when hundreds of unarmed people were killed while attending a public protest in what is now called the Andijan Massacre.

Additionally, forced child labor in Uzbekistan's cotton industry has recently garnered the attention of activists around the world. Every harvest season, thousands of children are removed from school and forced to pick cotton all across the country. Children work long hours in the heat with limited access to clean water for almost no pay. Despite recently signing on to the relevant International Labor Organization Conventions related to child labor, human rights advocates have documented the ongoing use of forced child labor. As farmers are forced to grow cotton which is not indigenous to the region, the production has led to environmental damage including the massive depletion of the Aral Sea.

Activists have been pressuring global clothing brands to commit to publicly opposing these abuses and removing Uzbek cotton from their supply chains, which has been a key demand of Uzbek human rights activists. Many huge companies have agreed, but some companies like Abercrombie & Fitch and Gymboree have still refused to speak out.

Given all of these egregious human rights abuses, why would Sting perform for the ruling family? In articles about the concert Sting has said, "I am well aware of the Uzbek president's appalling reputation in the field of human rights as well as the environment. I made the decision to play there in spite of that." So he knew about all the exploitation and went forward anyway? Ouch.

A human rights organization called Uzbekistan Exposed is now calling on Sting to donate the $2 million he received in "blood money" for performing to human rights groups working for positive change in Uzbekistan. If Sting wants to redeem his image as a person concerned about human rights and the environment and more importantly, if he wants to concretely support democracy and human rights, he should remove the sting and give a little honey to rights activists.

Photo credit: David Shankbone