On 13 May, 20 years have passed since the tragic events that took place in the Uzbek city of Andijan during the first president of the country, Islam Karimov.
According to the authoritative version, on the night of May 13, 2005, and the following day in Andijan, an armed group attacked a prison and a number of government buildings, killing 12 law enforcement officers and confiscating 334 weapons. Uzbek law enforcement officials reported that terrorists took a full of 70 hostages and 15 of them were killed. Later, the army was introduced into the city. According to authoritative data, 187 people were killed during events in Andijan. However, human rights defenders estimation the number of victims to 500–1500. In their opinion, on that day – Friday – respective tens of thousands of people gathered in the central square of Babura to protest government policy and economical difficulties. To distract the attackers, safety forces opened fire. Many women, children and older people were killed. As a result, many protesters were accused of violence, the trials were behind closed doors, and many were forced to leave the country.
The global community, including Western states, demanded independent investigation, but Uzbekistan refused. In response, the European Union imposed sanctions, including an arms embargo and a ban on entry for 12 elder officials. However, sanctions were abolished in 2009, and US attempts to force the initiation of an investigation resulted in a deterioration of relations. In 2013, erstwhile the UN examined another human rights study in Uzbekistan, representatives of the government delegation stated that Andijan was a closed case. Later, human rights defenders continued to request an global investigation and punishment of those liable for mass killings, but the force from the Western state on Uzbekistan was already weakened. The sanctions introduced after 2005 were gradually abolished, and relations with Western states, undermined by criticism of events in Andijan, were restored.
After the election of Shawkat Mirzijoyev as the fresh Uzbek president in December 2016, the country began thawing, the media began quietly criticizing any of the actions of erstwhile authorities, and any dared even rise the subject of Andijan. In 2019, an interview was published on the Qalampir.uz website with erstwhile interior minister Zokir Almatov, who participated straight in events in Andijan. The erstwhile head of the Ministry of the Interior stated that the Andijan incidental was a painful case for him. According to him, terrorists in Andijan conducted a planned operation to take power. "I'm sorry, but we did everything we could then," said Almatov. The website with this interview is presently unavailable. In February 2020, Uzbek deputy prosecutor Svetlan Artykov in an interview with the same Qalampir service.uz admitted that civilians were among the victims. According to her, they were under fire due to deficiency of appropriate coordination between the soldiers and their command: the communication equipment was poorly functioning, the commander did not hear the order in time or did not realize it, and the preparations were not there. The Deputy lawyer General added that people guilty of shooting citizens have been brought to justice, and any of them have already been punished and released.
Source: Fergana Agency
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