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August 16, 2006

OSCE Welcomes Moscow Suspension Of Uzbek Extraditions

This camp on the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border was the first stopping point in the long journeys of many refugees from the violence at Andijon (RFE/RL)

August 16, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- The OSCE's chairman in office has welcomed Russia's decision to suspend the extradition of 13 men sought in Uzbekistan for alleged participation in the May 2005 Andijon unrest.

The 13 detainees are 12 Uzbek citizens and one Kyrgyz national who were all arrested in the Russian city of Ivanovo in June 2005.
 
The Russian Prosecutor-General's Office on August 15 said it had decided to suspend their deportation to Uzbekistan pending a European Court of Human Rights' decision on their case.
 
In a statement posted on the OSCE website, Chairman in Office and Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht encouraged Russia to continue working with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) "to find a lasting solution" for the Ivanovo detainees.
 
De Gucht also praised Kazakhstan for handing over an Uzbek refugee to the UNHCR on August 15. Kazakhstan's Kazinform news agency today identified the man as Gabdurafih Temirboev.
 
Kyrgyzstan recently handed over five Andijon suspects to Uzbek authorities, sparking fierce criticism from rights groups and multilateral organizations who claimed the move violated Kyrgyzstan's international commitments.
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