Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Kyrgyzstan

Missing Uzbeks Reported Held In Andijon

(RFE/RL)

August 19, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- A Kyrgyz human rights activist says that two Uzbek asylum seekers reported missing in Kyrgyzstan are being held in the eastern Uzbek city of Andijon, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported.

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August 19, 2006

The chairwoman of the Adalet (Justice) human rights organization, Cholpon Jakupova, said a friend of the two men -- Valijon Bobojonov and Saidullo Shokirov -- phoned to say the men were back in Uzbekistan and being held in detention.

"They are in a detention cell in Andijon," Jakupova said. "This information was given to us by one of their friends, and he was called by [one detainee's] wife."

Jakupova did not say whether it was Bobojonov's or Shokirov's wife who passed the information about the two Uzbeks' detention.

Bobojonov and Shokirov were taken from their homes in the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh on August 16 and 17, respectively.

Jakupova said the two men sought refuge in Kyrgyzstan after the May 2005 unrest in Andijon and were subsequently granted asylum-seeker status.

Jakupova's group and other Kyrgyz rights organizations are denouncing Kyrgyz law enforcement bodies for cooperating with Uzbek security services.

Kyrgyz authorities did not immediately comment on the topic.

Andijon Refugees

Uzbek refugees in Kyrgyzstan on May 19, 2005 (epa)

NO PLACE TO GO: More than 400 Uzbeks who fled in panic in the hours and days after troops opened fire on demonstrators in Andijon one year ago have been granted political asylum outside Central Asia. In limbo for weeks in Kyrgyzstan as they and the world tried to come to grips with the bloody events of May 12 and 13, they feared for their lives and the lives of family members as the official crackdown continued.... (more)

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THE COMPLETE STORY: A dedicated webpage bringing together all of RFE/RL's coverage of the events in Andijon, Uzbekistan, in May 2005 and their continuing repercussions.

CHRONOLOGY

For an annotated timeline of the Andijon events and their repercussions, click here.

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