EU Again Condemns Uzbekistan
Bodies in Andijon (file photo)
![]()
18 July 2005 -- The European Union today renewed its condemnation of Uzbek authorities for failing to open an independent international investigation into the killings in Andijon in May.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the EU foreign ministers remained concerned about the situation in Uzbekistan.
"The council reiterated its profound concern about the situation and condemned the Uzbek authorities' refusal to allow an independent international inquiry into the events in Andijon," Straw said.
Straw, whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, was speaking at a news conference following a meeting of the EU foreign ministers council in Brussels.
On 13 May, Uzbek troops opened fire during a large protest in the eastern city of Andijon. The government says 187 people were killed, half of them armed militants. Human rights groups say as many as 750 people were killed.
(AFP)