*** The president is one of the most repressive leaders in the former
Soviet Union. Uzbekistan is a key Washington ally in the war on
terrorism and hosts a US airbase to support military operations in
neighbouring Afghanistan. There is also a major Russian airbase in the
country.
However, the country is frequently denounced by human rights groups and
Western governments for torture and repression of opposition.
Two years ago Britain recalled its ambassador, Dundee University
graduate Craig Murray, after he went public with claims that Uzbekistan
is holding more than 7,000 political prisoners.
Murray produced evidence allegedly showing that some of these men had
been boiled alive. ***
-----
Thousands trapped at border as Uzbekistan descends into chaos
May 15, 2005
By CHRIS STEPHEN IN MOSCOW
THOUSANDS of refugees fleeing the fighting in Uzbekistan were yesterday
trapped on the border with Kyrgyzstan, with Uzbek troops refusing to let
them cross.
The refugees, including women and children, have been streaming out of
the town of Andijan, where shooting continued the day after up to 500
demonstrators were reportedly shot dead by security forces.
The gun battle broke out after protesters stormed a local jail and freed
terrorist suspects whom they claimed were innocent.
Border police in Kyrgyzstan said refugees from Andijan, a few miles
inside Uzbekistan, had begun crossing in the early hours of the morning.
Many of them were described as badly injured.
About 500 crossed the border before it was closed. But later Uzbek
troops armed with machine guns herded further columns of refugees back.
By late afternoon several thousand civilians were packed close to the
border fence without food or water.
Kyrgyz security council chief Miroslav Niyazov said: "There are some
injured people, and some very seriously injured people. We want to check
who these people are and whether there are people who have been released
from prison among them. At the same time talks are underway with the
Uzbek side in order to regulate the situation."
Tension between the two countries is high following the overthrow by
pro-democracy protesters of the Kyrgyz government in a bloodless
uprising last March. But Kyrgyz soldiers said they had no power to aid
the civilians, some a few yards away on the far side of the border.
In Andijan there were chaotic scenes yesterday, with troops pushing back
relatives trying to retrieve the bodies of slain protesters lying in the
main square. The troops loaded the bodies on to trucks and a bus.
Shots were exchanged between troops deployed around the main square and
rebels barricaded inside the regional government building.
More than 3,000 protesters gathered in the square and paraded the bodies
of six of those killed when demonstrations broke out on Friday. Troops
had opened fire after demonstrators occupied the regional government
building.
The town centre is a scene of devastation, with the city theatre and
other buildings burned out. Many burned cars block the roads.
Meanwhile, journalists reporting for foreign news organisations were
detained and ordered out of the town. Seven were told to leave the city
by the National Security Service, successor to the Soviet-era KGB.
"You have 30 minutes to leave this city. We are not responsible for your
security," one reporter was told. "You may be taken hostage by the
rebels."
Fresh troops arrived in the city throughout the day, triggering fears of
further bloodshed. The government has yet to explain why its troops
apparently opened fire on unarmed demonstrators on Friday.
This upsurge in violence began on Friday morning when protesters took
control of the city prison, after demanding the release of 23 men
awaiting trial on terrorist charges.
The protesters insisted the men were innocent and accused the
authorities of heavy-handed tactics. When they overran the prison, the
guards ran away, and more than 2,000 prisoners were freed.
Spurred on by their success, the crowd then marched on the main square
of the town. By Friday afternoon, about 4,000 protesters massed in the
central square and set up a podium under a monument to Babur, an Uzbek
prince.
Speakers then took turns to denounce the government, complaining of
unemployment, poverty and corruption. Some said it was the first time
they had felt able to complain about the government in public.
Meanwhile, protest organisers, some armed with Kalashnikov automatic
rifles, posted guards around the square. Later the protesters took over
the government building, again without casualties, taking hostage the
soldiers guarding it.
The killings began when troops arrived to bolster police units in the
main square. An eyewitness reported that three green armoured personnel
carriers arrived in the square and shooting broke out almost
immediately. The protesters were raked by fire from rifles and heavy
machine guns.
International reaction remains muted, but Russia, an ally of president
Islam Karimov, blamed the rebels for the bloodshed.
A foreign ministry spokesman said: "Russia denounces this sortie of
extremists."
Police are also trying to recapture the prisoners set free. Karimov said
yesterday that authorities had tried to negotiate with protesters before
opening fire on a crowd and that no order had been given to open fire.
He also said 10 soldiers had died in the clashes.
The president is one of the most repressive leaders in the former Soviet
Union. Uzbekistan is a key Washington ally in the war on terrorism and
hosts a US airbase to support military operations in neighbouring
Afghanistan. There is also a major Russian airbase in the country.
However, the country is frequently denounced by human rights groups and
Western governments for torture and repression of opposition.
Two years ago Britain recalled its ambassador, Dundee University
graduate Craig Murray, after he went public with claims that Uzbekistan
is holding more than 7,000 political prisoners.
Murray produced evidence allegedly showing that some of these men had
been boiled alive.
Yesterday he said that the unrest would spread, but it would take time.
=A92005 Scotsman.com
.
|
