Kyrgyz Ombudsman Opposes Extraditing Uzbeks
March 30, 2006
March 30, 2006 -- Kyrgyzstan's human-rights commissioner says he is against extraditing two of four Uzbeks currently detained in Kyrgyzstan.
The office of ombudsman Tursunbai Bakir-uulu says he has appealed to Kyrgyzstan's highest authorities not to extradite the two Uzbek refugees.
The two entered Kyrgyz territory as part of a wave of refugees fleeing a severe military crackdown in the eastern Uzbek town of Andijon in May 2005.
Kyrgyzstan's Supreme Court has denied the two refugee status. The court still hasn't decided the fate of the other two.
Uzbek authorities have demanded that the four be sent back to Uzbekistan, accusing them of criminal activities during the Andijon crisis.
(Interfax)