Ukraine Criticized For Deporting Uzbeks
February 17, 2006
One of the numerous casualties of the unrest in Andijon in May 2005 (RFE/RL)
Anti-government protests in Andijon were brutally put down by the Uzbek government, with the loss of hundreds of lives.
The New York-based group Human Rights Watch says Ukraine's decision to deport the 10 Uzbeks violates international law.
The Uzbeks were deported on 14 February after they were arrested in Crimea as illegal immigrants. Most of them had applied for, but were not granted, political refugee status.
Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said the men were sent back to "almost certain torture and abuse."
On 16 February, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) also condemned the deportations.
(AFP, dpa)