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Andijon's Brutal Clampdown

Soldiers patrol downtown Andijon in an armored personnel carrier on May 15 - Tensions had been rising for months in Andijon prior to the events of May 12 and 13, 2005.
1 Soldiers patrol downtown Andijon in an armored personnel carrier on May 15 - Tensions had been rising for months in Andijon prior to the events of May 12 and 13, 2005.
A family in its modest home, where mother Mairian and father Cherali live with their four children - Andijon is an ancient Silk Road city that has fallen on hard times economically, particularly since the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
2 A family in its modest home, where mother Mairian and father Cherali live with their four children - Andijon is an ancient Silk Road city that has fallen on hard times economically, particularly since the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
A local drama theater shows fire damage from the May 2005 tumult - Emotions had been stirred up by the trials of a group of local businessmen, accused of separatism. The night before the shootings to disperse the crowd, militants forcibly freed the businessmen from prison, apparently along with other prisoners, and they occupied a government building.
3 A local drama theater shows fire damage from the May 2005 tumult - Emotions had been stirred up by the trials of a group of local businessmen, accused of separatism. The night before the shootings to disperse the crowd, militants forcibly freed the businessmen from prison, apparently along with other prisoners, and they occupied a government building.
People gather in Andijon’s central square on May 14, one day after troops fired on the crowd - Events drew protesters to Andijon's central square and, during the day on May 13, speakers denounced poverty and government corruption.
4 People gather in Andijon’s central square on May 14, one day after troops fired on the crowd - Events drew protesters to Andijon's central square and, during the day on May 13, speakers denounced poverty and government corruption.
The day after the May 13 bloodshed, Andijon residents collect the bodies of some of the casualties of the previous day's violence - Toward evening, the security forces made a sudden assault, firing apparently indisciminately into the crowd.
5 The day after the May 13 bloodshed, Andijon residents collect the bodies of some of the casualties of the previous day's violence - Toward evening, the security forces made a sudden assault, firing apparently indisciminately into the crowd.
Locals pray in front of the bodies of those who died in the fighting on May 13 - The deadly encounter between Uzbek security forces and demonstrators still has not been fully documented.
6 Locals pray in front of the bodies of those who died in the fighting on May 13 - The deadly encounter between Uzbek security forces and demonstrators still has not been fully documented.
A nurse waits with an injured patient at a hospital in Andijon on May 14 - What's clear is that Uzbek security forces fired on a large crowd of protesters gathered in the central square of Andijon.
7 A nurse waits with an injured patient at a hospital in Andijon on May 14 - What's clear is that Uzbek security forces fired on a large crowd of protesters gathered in the central square of Andijon.
Andijon's central square following the bloodshed - Bodies littered the streets of Andijon the day after security forces fired on the demonstrators.
8 Andijon's central square following the bloodshed - Bodies littered the streets of Andijon the day after security forces fired on the demonstrators.
A man tries to identify a relative among the bodies - Early accounts by eyewitnesses and from local rights groups suggested that as many as 1,000 people had died.
9 A man tries to identify a relative among the bodies - Early accounts by eyewitnesses and from local rights groups suggested that as many as 1,000 people had died.
Local women await news of relatives outside Andijon's morgue on May 16 - The death toll is still in dispute two years later, with opposition sources, medical staff, and eyewitnesses estimating that up to 500 people were mown down -- mostly civilians, and including men, women, and children.
10 Local women await news of relatives outside Andijon's morgue on May 16 - The death toll is still in dispute two years later, with opposition sources, medical staff, and eyewitnesses estimating that up to 500 people were mown down -- mostly civilians, and including men, women, and children.
The body of one of those killed on May 13 is carried for burial in a local cemetery two days later - The government of President Islam Karimov paints a different picture. It claims that some 187 people died that day, mostly Islamic militants bent on overthrowing the state.
11 The body of one of those killed on May 13 is carried for burial in a local cemetery two days later - The government of President Islam Karimov paints a different picture. It claims that some 187 people died that day, mostly Islamic militants bent on overthrowing the state.
Local police talk to a soldier as they guard a street in Andijon three days after the most intense violence - Tashkent has rejected appeals for an international inquiry to establish what happened, saying it's an internal Uzbek affair.
12 Local police talk to a soldier as they guard a street in Andijon three days after the most intense violence - Tashkent has rejected appeals for an international inquiry to establish what happened, saying it's an internal Uzbek affair.
An Uzbek man at a refugee camp near the Kyrgyz border village of Barash on May 19 - In the wake of the killings, hundreds, or possibly thousands, of people fled to the nearby Kyrgyz border, and attempted to cross the frontier.
13 An Uzbek man at a refugee camp near the Kyrgyz border village of Barash on May 19 - In the wake of the killings, hundreds, or possibly thousands, of people fled to the nearby Kyrgyz border, and attempted to cross the frontier.
An unsanctioned demonstration in neighboring Kyrgyzstan to mark the first anniversary of the Andijon tragedy - Most of the first wave of people who fled the violence were sent back by Kyrgyz authorities. Some of the hundreds that managed to stay in Kyrgyzstan were accused by Uzbek authorities of being terrorists.
14 An unsanctioned demonstration in neighboring Kyrgyzstan to mark the first anniversary of the Andijon tragedy - Most of the first wave of people who fled the violence were sent back by Kyrgyz authorities. Some of the hundreds that managed to stay in Kyrgyzstan were accused by Uzbek authorities of being terrorists.
Fifteen defendants face terrorism-related charges in a Tashkent courtroom in September 2005, in connection with the Andijon violence - The government in Tashkent later put scores of people in court, in what UN officials and Western rights activists described as show trials because they fell below internationally recognized standards of justice.
15 Fifteen defendants face terrorism-related charges in a Tashkent courtroom in September 2005, in connection with the Andijon violence - The government in Tashkent later put scores of people in court, in what UN officials and Western rights activists described as show trials because they fell below internationally recognized standards of justice.
Special forces troops sit on a military trucks patrol the streets of Andijon four days after troops had opened fire on the crowd - The Andijon events have had wide-ranging impact on Uzbekistan's foreign relations. The European Union imposed political and economic sanctions on the Uzbek government. Relations between Tashkent and Washington also deteriorated after U.S. criticism of the Andijon killings. Uzbekistan ordered the closure of a U.S. military air base (Karshi-Khanabad) that performed a key support role for U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
16 Special forces troops sit on a military trucks patrol the streets of Andijon four days after troops had opened fire on the crowd - The Andijon events have had wide-ranging impact on Uzbekistan's foreign relations. The European Union imposed political and economic sanctions on the Uzbek government. Relations between Tashkent and Washington also deteriorated after U.S. criticism of the Andijon killings. Uzbekistan ordered the closure of a U.S. military air base (Karshi-Khanabad) that performed a key support role for U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
An anti-Karimov demonstration in front of the Uzbek Embassy in Brussels on May 12, 2006 - In addition, it also ordered a number of important nongovernmental organizations to cease operations and leave the country, including the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and Human Rights Watch.
17 An anti-Karimov demonstration in front of the Uzbek Embassy in Brussels on May 12, 2006 - In addition, it also ordered a number of important nongovernmental organizations to cease operations and leave the country, including the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and Human Rights Watch.
President Islam Karimov (left) with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in May 2006 - At the same time, Uzbekistan has moved forward with a diplomatic swing toward the Shanghai group of states, which includes Russia, China, and others who have not been critical over Andijon.
18 President Islam Karimov (left) with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in May 2006 - At the same time, Uzbekistan has moved forward with a diplomatic swing toward the Shanghai group of states, which includes Russia, China, and others who have not been critical over Andijon.
Zuhra, a 33-year-old Andijon refugee at a refugee camp in the Czech town of Straz pod Ralskem - The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees eventually evacuated 439 Andijon refugees to Romania and, from there, most were resettled to countries in Europe and North America. More than 50 have voluntarily returned to Uzbekistan since then.
19 Zuhra, a 33-year-old Andijon refugee at a refugee camp in the Czech town of Straz pod Ralskem - The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees eventually evacuated 439 Andijon refugees to Romania and, from there, most were resettled to countries in Europe and North America. More than 50 have voluntarily returned to Uzbekistan since then.
A flyer at the main market in the Kyrgyz border town of Kara-Suu one year after the violence reminds readers in Uzbek: "People of Uzbekistan! Amid [your] daily routine, don't forget May 13, 2005!" - The EU sanctions against Uzbekistan -- and whether to renew, drop, or possibly expand them -- are presently under discussion by EU ministers. A decision is expected on May 14. (Photos RFE/RL, AFP, and ITAR-TASS; text by Breffni O'Rourke)
20 A flyer at the main market in the Kyrgyz border town of Kara-Suu one year after the violence reminds readers in Uzbek: "People of Uzbekistan! Amid [your] daily routine, don't forget May 13, 2005!" - The EU sanctions against Uzbekistan -- and whether to renew, drop, or possibly expand them -- are presently under discussion by EU ministers. A decision is expected on May 14. (Photos RFE/RL, AFP, and ITAR-TASS; text by Breffni O'Rourke)
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