'1,000 killed' in Uzbekistan

Published on 20/05/2005 01:41

UZBEK police and security forces may have killed up to 1,000 unarmed civilians in recent unrest in the Central Asian republic, two human rights group said yesterday.

The claim was made by the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights and the Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan following an uprising in the eastern city of Andijan which has since spread to other towns.

"The [Andijan] attack can be interpreted as an act of brutal repression aimed at further intimidating the Uzbek population in the face of democratic changes in Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine and Georgia," the groups said in a statement. "Uzbekistan is among the most repressive countries in the world."

Talib Yakubov, the chairman of the Uzbek organisation, said that the dead included 745 victims in Andijan, another 200 in Pakhtabad and an unknown number in Korasuv.

Uzbek authorities have not allowed any independent assessment of the number of deaths and so far there is only anecdotal evidence. But some observers, including foreign diplomats, have cast doubt on the higher numbers, saying they believe 200-300 were killed in Andijan. Diplomats and journalists who visited Pakhtabad over the past few days found no signs of any incident.

Uzbek troops yesterday regained control of the rebel-held town of Korasuv, reportedly capturing rebel leader Bakhtiyor Rakhimov, as calls for an international investigation into last Friday's massacre increased.

Gunfire and explosions echoed around the town as soldiers backed by helicopters regained control of the town that rebels had proclaimed was an Islamic state.

Refugees fleeing from the town, which lies on the border with Kyrgyzstan, gave conflicting accounts of fighting, some saying the rebels fought back, others that they fled.

The Red Cross is trying to get access to Andijan, which is still under military control a week after the massacre, with officials saying they are being besieged by anxious relatives on the Kyrgyz side of the border seeking news of loved ones.

Christophe Peschoix, spokesman for the International Committee for the Red Cross, said: "Families are looking. They don't know if they have been killed, arrested or gone into hiding."