Swiss Impose Sanctions On Uzbekistan
January 31, 2006
31 January 2006 -- Switzerland today imposed an arms embargo and travel sanctions on Uzbekistan in response to alleged human rights violations during the suppression of an uprising in Andijon in May.
The Swiss government's move follows similar bans by the European Union, which in 2005 imposed an arms embargo on Uzbekistan and suspended a cooperation agreement.
The Uzbek government says 187 people, including many security officers, were killed in the Andijon unrest. Human rights groups, however, say troops killed hundreds more and that they were overwhelmingly peaceful demonstrators.
Switzerland's Economics Ministry said in a statement that the sanctions mean a ban on the supply of military equipment and goods "for the purposes of internal repression."
In addition to the arms embargo, 12 unnamed Uzbek officials may no longer travel to or transit Switzerland.
(Reuters, AP)