Introduction
Dr Shirin Akiner (born 16 June 1943) is a lecturer in Central Asian Studies at London University's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). She produced many scholarly works, particularly on Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, and is a member of editorial and advisory board of Journal of Central Asian and Caucasian Studies published by the U.S.A.K.
In 2005, human rights groups, non-governmental organizations and the former British ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig Murray, accused her of producing a biased and "propagandist" report on the Andijan massacre in Uzbekistan, which largely absolved the government of Islam Karimov of any wrongdoing. Murray called on Colin Bundy, the director of SOAS, to take action against her for allegedly promoting falsehoods, but the latter refused on the ground that Murray's views were "unsubstantiated".
Selected publications
- Violence in Andijan, 13 May 2005: An Independent Assessment, 51pp. Johns Hopkins University, Uppsala University (Sweden), 2005. ISBN 91-85031-08-9.
- The Caspian:Politics, Energy, Security, 405pp. RoutledgeCurzon (UK), 2004. ISBN 0-7007-0501-5.
- Tajikistan: Disintegration or Reconciliation?, 95pp. Royal Institute of International Affairs (London), 2001. ISBN 1-86203-061-8.
- The Formation of Kazakh Identity; From Tribe to Nation-State, 83pp. Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1995. ISBN 1-899658-03-3.
- Resistance and Reform in Tibet edited by Robert Barnett and Shirin Akiner : C.Hurst 1994, Indiana University Press.