Andijan massacre

Map of eastern Uzbekistan

The Andijan massacre occured when Uzbek Interior Ministry troops fired into a crowd of protesters in Andijan, Uzbekistan in May 2005. Estimates of those killed on May 13 range from between 187, the official count of the government, and 700 people.

The Uzbek government at first said the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan organized the unrest and the protestors were members of Hizb ut-Tahrir. Critics argue that the Islamic radical label is "a pretext for maintaining a repressive state"; there is also a dispute whether troops fired indiscriminately at peaceful protestors chanting "freedom" or acted legitimately to quell a prison break. The Uzbek government eventually acknowledged that poor economic conditions in the region and popular resentment played a role in the uprising.

In response to Western criticism and calls for an investigation, the Uzbek government ordered the closing of a United States air base in Karshi-Khanabad, and allied itself closer with China and Russia, who supported the regime's response in Andjian.

Trial of businessmen

Uzbek protesters initially asked for the release of 23 local businessmen who were arrested on June 23, 2004 and subsequently charged with membership in Akramiya, an organization the Uzbek government has designated and banned as terrorist. The businessmen denied the charge, saying they were arrested because of their growing support among the local populace.

The 23 businessmen are Rasuljon Ajikhalilov, Abdumajit Ibragimov, Abdulboki Ibragimov, Tursunbek Nazarov, Makhammadshokir Artikov, Odil Makhsdaliyev, Dadakhon Nodirov, Shamsitdin Atamatov, Ortikboy Akbarov, Rasul Akbarov, Shavkat Shokirov, Abdurauf Khamidov, Muzaffar Kodirov, Mukhammadaziz Mamdiyev, Nasibillo Maksudov, Adkhamjon Babojonov, Khakimjon Zakirov, Gulomjon Nadirov, Musojon Mirzaboyev, Dilshchodbek Mamadiyev, Abdulvosid Igamov, Shokurjon Shakirov, and Ravshanbek Mazimjonov.

Before May 10, 2005

In March 2005 500 farmers took over a police station and burned two police cars. They said authorities unfairly took possession of their farm, leaving them impoverished.

On May 3, 2005 protestors demonstrated outside the U.S. embassy in Tashkent. About 60 people forced their way through security. Nearly all those involved were women with small children. They were demonstrating against similar issues which had led to the March protests.

May 10 Andijan protest

On May 10 the BBC said another demonstration had occurred, this time in the city of Andijan. At least 1,000 people gathered. The protesters, mainly relatives of the defendants, videotaped the demonstration, which the police did not interrupt. Demonstrators lined the streets around the courthouse, with women on one side and men on the other.

By May 11 the demonstration swelled to over 4,000 residents of the city. Prosecutors had asked for prison terms ranging from three to seven years for 20 of the accused, offering to free the remaining three. A relative of one defendant told uznews.net, "We are ready to do anything in order to free our innocent brothers."

May 12 and 13

On May 13 protesters gathered in the central square to voice their anger over growing poverty and government policy.

The government troops sealed off the perimeter of the protest and opened fire. Some reports indicate indiscriminate firing by government troops, including the use of snipers, automatic rifles, and armoured personnel carriers. The Uzbek government, disputed this and stated that only terrorists were killed. New York Times pointed out that Islom Karimov's "blame for the unrest on Islamic extremist groups, [is] a label that he has used to describe political opponents in recent years and that his critics say is used as a pretext for maintaining a repressive state."

Government loses control

On the night of May 12 armed men stormed a military garrison and prison in the city seizing weapons and releasing some of the prisoners. A representative of the rebels later told an opposition website that the attack was carried out by relatives and supporters of those charged with involvement in Akramiya. The following day, 13 May, numerous international news organizations reported that rebels, including the 23 defendants, were holding the regional administration building in Andijan. An opposition group reported that rebels had unsuccessfully tried to seize the National Security Service headquarters in the city. One of the protesters occupying the regional administration building told Radio Free Europe that their only demand was the release of all prisoners accused of involvement in Akramiya. "[The authorities] should release those guys who were imprisoned under slander, including [Akramiya founder] Akram Yuldoshev". The man went on to say that government negotiators, led by Interior Minister Zakir Almatov, refused to meet the demand, instead offering them a chance to exit the country.

Andijan massacre

Later that day Uzbek soldiers, who had sealed off the city, moved in to end the protests. Eyewitnesses say soldiers cleared protesters from government offices before shooting at demonstrators outside. People in the main square threw themselves to the ground to avoid being shot as rebels and government forces exchanged fire. Men, women and children were also reported to be attempting to flee the area in panic.

Galima Bukharbaeva, a journalist for IWPR, witnessed a "mass of dead and wounded. At first, one group of armoured-personnel carriers approached the [city] square, and then another group appeared. They opened fire without mercy on everyone indiscriminately, including women and children. The crowd began to run in all directions. We dove into a ditch and lay there for a while. I saw at least five bloody corpses next to me. The rebels who are holding the provincial administration opened fire in response. They intend to stand to the end! When we got out of the ditch, we ran along the streets into the neighbourhood and now we're looking for a place where there's no shooting. But shots can be heard everywhere..."

On the streets of Andijan some protesters called for the resignation of President Karimov, who was reportedly overseeing troop operations at a command centre close to the city's airport.

Prison escape

Militants took over the municipal administration building. Fires started at the Babur theater and cinema, though each side blames the other for the arson. At 12:00PM on May 13 15 vehicles were parked outside the prison. Militants exited the vehicles and shot at the prison guards, killing several. They then released 527 of about 4,000 imprisoned and attacked a military camp. Government soldiers later blocked the streets to the prison.

Mass graves

Muhammad Salih, founder and leader of the Erk political party in Uzbekistan, estimated more than 1,000 casualties in the massacre. Salih said the bodies were were buried in mass graves holding 15 to 20 people each, or were thrown into the Karasu river. Between May 13-14, 18 flights took 35 or more bodies from Andijan out of the city. Salih said, "Andijan is a litmus test for countries who want influence in the region. Russia sees Central Asia as the source for religious extremism, while China fears a growth of internal separatists," but "neither wants to recognize that Karimov gives strength to what they fear." The Chinese and Russian governments support for the Uzbek government allows it to avoid an international investigation.

Juraboy, a citizen of Andijan, led a Radio Free Europe correspondent to a mass grave on the far end of the city on 27 May 2005. Gravediggers told Radio Free Europe that 74 bodies were buried in the grave, and that there were 37 more secret graves, each containing two bodies, in the area. Three trucks brought the first bodies on May 13. On 28 May two people murdered Juraboy. Some families of the deceased found the graves of their relatives, dug up the bodies, and reburied them according to Islamic burial rites. There is another known mass grave outside of Andijan and grave in the botanical gardens in the center of the city. Vitaly Ponomaryov, director of the Central Asia Program at the Moscow-based Memorial Human Rights Center, said, "planes flew out of Andijon beginning late in the evening on 13 May. In the course of 24 hours, there were around 18 flights. Our source for this information doesn't know where they were flying to, but he spoke with an eyewitness who talked about 36 bodies that were loaded into one plane alone."

Aftermath

Despite the violent crushing of the protests, the following day thousands reappeared to demonstrate. Huge crowds shouted "killers, murderers", and again demanded the president step down. One spoke of the previous days' events to the Associated Press: "People were raising their hands up in the air showing they were without arms but soldiers were still shooting at them."

On May 14 thousands seeking to flee the country stormed government buildings in the eastern frontier town of Qorasuv, 50 km east of Andijan. They torched police offices and cars, before attacking guards on the Kyrgyz border. Authorities in Kyrgyzstan turned 6000 Uzbeks away. Uzbek army helicopters were seen circling overhead.

There is some information that on May 14 nearly 200 people (possibly armed people, who tried to flee to Kyrgyzstan) were killed in Pahtaabad, 30 km north-west of Andijan.

Andijan has been blocked off from the outside world. There is disagreement about the number of dead within the city.

The local inhabitants of Qorasuv are rebuilding the bridges to Kyrgyzstan after their destruction by Karimov's forces.

On May 16 several foreign news sources estimated the dead in Andijan as numbering between 400 to 600, with civilians accounting for almost all the victims. One report stated that troops had systematically shot the wounded after the first shootings. A press release on the same day on the official government website continued to maintain that "As a result of the clashes, 9 people died [sic] and 34 were injured."

On the same day Uzbek troops sealed off the town of Qorasuv on the Uzbek border with Kyrgyzstan.

According to the New York Times, "[T]here were reports of skirmishes in or near Andijon and of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of refugees making their way to Kyrgyzstan. There were indications that the Uzbek government, which normally maintains strict order, did not have full control of a portion of the valley."

Two days later the situation began to change beyond what had originally been seen as a popular uprising. In Qorasuv, a town then under rebel control, the leader, Baxtiyor Rahimov stated that he would take control of local government and aimed to create an indepenant state. He said his supporters were prepared to fight for their cause, and that they could no longer tolerate Karimov. The town was recaptured the night of May 18 and Rahimov was arrested.

Around this time, Peace Corps Uzbekistan closes its post in response to increased security threats, according to policy that corresponds with the security level of the in-country U.S. Embassy.[1] The newest group of Volunteers leaves the country on or before this day, as their Visas were not renewed by the Uzbekistan government.

In a 60-page report based on 50 interviews with victims and witnesses of the Andijan crackdown, Human Rights Watch said the killing of unarmed protesters by the Uzbek government on May 13 was so extensive and unjustified that it amounted to a massacre.[2] The report is the most comprehensive investigation to date of the tragic events in eastern Uzbekistan.

In October 2005 an Uzbek court found several Kyrgyz citizens guilty of several crimes revolving around involvement in the Andijan massacre.

Press

The government-controlled media within the country broadcast only brief statements regarding the crisis. In its news bulletins, Uzbek State TV said "an armed group of criminals" had attacked the security forces in Andijan: "The bandits seized dozens of weapons and moved on to attack a correctional colony, setting some convicts free." Describing the rebels as "extremists", they claimed that nine people had been killed and 34 wounded during the clashes. The local radio station had reportedly been taken off air. Authorities also blocked foreign TV news channels, including CNN and the BBC News.

Reaction

European Union

On October 3, 2005 the European Union approved an arms embargo on Uzbekistan and decided to deny visas to top Uzbek officials, in response to an "excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate use of force" and because of the Uzbek government's opposition to an international investigation into the events. In November 2006 the EU renewed the sanctions but agreed to resume low-level talks.

British Foreign Minister Jack Straw said on May 15 that "there had been a clear abuse of human rights" in Uzbekistan.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier met with Uzbek Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov in March 2007. He told the foreign ministers of the governments of European Union member nations in Brussels on March 5, 2007 that the Government of Uzbekistan may be willing to let the International Committee of the Red Cross visit prisons in Uzbekistan, hold talks on the Andijan massacre with EU officials, and letting EU officials reexamine human rights cases in return for an end to the sanctions imposed by the EU following the incidents in Andijan.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization members

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, composed of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, characterized the Andijan massacre as a terrorist plot. The SCO passed resolutions in July 2005 calling for nations to deny asylum to Uzbek refugees from Andijan in Kyrgyzstan.

Andijan protestors had called for help from Vladimir Putin, but Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a press conference after meeting with the foreign minister of CSTO member nations, "Uzbekistan is not a CSTO member, and we don't interfere in the internal affairs of other countries."

Kyrgyzstan, which had recently undergone a revolution, closed its border with Uzbekistan, as did Tajikistan. Kazakhstan also increased border security. The border with Turkmenistan had been closed already.

United States

When asked about the government's response to the incident, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the U.S. government has been "very consistently critical of the human rights situation in Uzbekistan, we're very concerned about the outbreak of violence in Andijan, in particular the escape of prisoners, including possibly members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, an organization we consider a terrorist organization. I think at this point we're looking to all the parties involved to exercise restraint to avoid any unnecessary loss of life." Craig Murray, the ambassador of the United Kingdom to Uzbekistan, criticized the U.S. government's position, calling it a "sickening response." George Soros, chairman of the Open Society Institute which actively promoted the color revolutions, called the Andijan massacre "one of the worst political crimes committed in the 21st century." A bipartisan group of U.S. senators criticized the State Department's reaction and called for a United Nations investigation: "We believe that the United States must be careful about being too closely associated with a government that has killed hundreds of demonstrators and refused international calls for a transparent investigation."

The White House's initial muted response reflected the delicate situation for the Bush administration, which had received much support from the Uzbek government in the War on Terror in nearby Afghanistan, but did not want to be seen as supporting the Uzbek government. The situation was further complicated by widespread rumors in Uzbekistan that the U.S. embassy had urged the Uzbek government to stand firm in the face of Islamist groups a mere week before the crisis. In the weeks to follow, the U.S. joined a chorus of nations calling for an independent, international investigation of the Andijan events and, along with several European nations, refused to participate in a Uzbekistan-sponsored international investigation that included CIS states, China, Iran, India and Pakistan.

Effect on Uzbek foreign policy

Apparently in response to U.S. calls for a truly independent international investigation, the Government of Uzbekistan placed restrictions on the operation of the U.S. base in Karshi-Khanabad. After the U.S. participated in the international effort to relocate over 400 Andijan refugees from neighboring Kyrgyzstan, where they were constantly under threat of illegal extradition to Uzbekistan, to third countries (initially Romania), in July 2005, the Government of Uzbekistan ordered the Karshi-Khanabad base in the country's South to be closed within six months, and the US did so in November 2005. Karimov has instead decided to ally his nation closer with China and Russia, who, seeking more influence in Central Asia, expressed support for Karimov after the Andijan uprising.

Quotations

• "The people have risen up" - Valijon Atakhonjonov, brother of a defendant involved with the trial, on May 13, 2005.
• "We are believers, nothing more" - Unnamed man describing himself as one of the rebel leaders, denying links to Islamic extremism.
• "In Uzbekistan, nobody fights against women, children or the elderly," - President Karimov denying that he had given any orders for the army to shoot unarmed protesters.
• "He said: 'We don't care if 200, 300 or 400 people die. We have force and we will chuck you out of there anyway,'" - Kabuljon Parpiyev, referring to comments allegedly made by Uzbek Interior Minister Almatov during negotiations.
• "To accept their terms would mean that we are setting a precedent that no other country in the world would accept" – Karimov referring to alleged demands by rebels that all followers be released from jails in the Fergana Valley.
• Aksam Turgunov, a member of Erk, a small opposition party, vented his disgust at Mr. Karimov. "He lied brazenly to his people. He will go down in history as a bloodthirsty tyrant. It's clear now, he shot at civilians. So the police are out to defend his actions. They are looking for criminals, but the worst criminal sits undisturbed."
• "We will be building an Islamic state here in accordance with the Quran" - Baxtiyor Rahimov, rebel leader, outlining his prospective policy for governing Uzbekistan.

Local power struggle

Based on an undisclosed source, EurasiaNet reports that on May 25, 2004 the legislative chamber of Andijan's regional government voted to impeach Kobiljon Obidov, the Governor of Andijan and a leading member of the Ferghana clan, replacing him with Saydullo Begaliyev, the former Minister of Agriculture and Water in the national government. Governor Obidov's involvement in several political scandals lost him favor with President Karimov, who personally attended his impeachment proceedings. According to an anonymous source who spoke with EurasiaNet Obidov "was the province's master ... businesses favored by the hokim got the green light for everything. All the entrepreneurs who enjoyed [Obidov's] patronage," including the 23 businessmen, "grew rich." In late 2004 Karimov appointed Ikromkhon Nazhmiddinov, who succeeded Begaliyev as the Minister of Agriculture and Water, Governor of Ferghana province.

The source said, "Criminal proceedings were started against many of his [Obidov's] administration members. The new hokim also decided to re-divide the businesses in the province; he cracked down on the entrepreneurs who had been supported by Obidov. They were told to sell their businesses for a pittance either to him [Begaliyev] or his people, or face legal proceedings."

Ikbol Mirsaitov, a Kyrgyz expert on Islam, said that trial and subsequent unrest "was all about clan struggle."

Obidov, initially put under house arrest, is now imprisoned in Tashkent. Karimov replaced Begaliyev with Akhmad Usmanov, the former security head of the Interior Ministry of Namangan province, on October 13, 2006.

See also

• History of Uzbekistan
• Politics of Uzbekistan
• Islam in Uzbekistan
• Colour revolution
• Freenet (Central Asia) – USAID supported internet in Uzbekistan

Further reading

• Adeeb Khalid. Islam After Communism: Religion And Politics in Central Asia, University of California Press, 2007, ISBN 0-520-24927-5

External links

• Peace Corps suspends the PC Uzbekistan post as a followup to the Andijan massacre.
• After Non – Franchised Andijan Uprising, East Closes Ranks Written by K. Gajendra Singh, India's former ambassador to Turkey and Azerbaijan in 1992 -1996.
• Preliminary findings on the events in Andijan, Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe
• Report from the OSCE/ODIHR monitoring of the trial of some Andijan participants in Uzbekistan, September/October 2005, Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe
• Has Uzbek religious policy been changed by the Andijan massacre?, Forum 18 News Service
• Uzbekistan religious freedom survey, May 2006, Forum 18 News Service
• Muslimuzbekistan Information Center
• Hizb ut-Tahrir: 'This is how the butcher of Andijan executed his crime'
• Aftermath article in The Kansas City Star
• The Registan – on-the-ground news and analysis
• Ferghana – Opposition Website
• Forum 18 News Service – monitoring of religious freedom situation
• Uzbekistan government
• Government Censors Media Coverage of Protests - IFEX
• Independent news story: Hundreds of civilians killed after protests turn to massacre
• The Scotsman news story: 'They shot us like rabbits'
• The Guardian news story: Death in Bobur Square
• Muslim scholar, advocating religious freedom for all faiths as the best antidote to Islamic religious extremism in Uzbekistan, Forum 18 News Service
• Uzbekistan: Waiting for the other shoe to drop, a follow up by The Economist
• Silk Road Project, an extensive report on the Andijan violence and the international response, authored by Dr. Shirin Akiner
• Video of the prelude to the Massacre An edited video of the prelude to the massacre on Babur Square released by the Uzbek Government in June 2006, together with analysis by Martha Brill Olcott on the Carnegie Foundation's website.
• Video of Ill-Fated Uzbek Rising Offers Haunting, Complex View Chivers and Wilensky-Lanford on the Andijan Video in the New York Times, 22nd June 2006
• German lawmaker sees no rights progress in Uzbekistan
• More criticism for UN over Uzbekistan
• Kazakh, Uzbek leaders meet in Astana
• EU experts wrap up Andijon talks in Uzbekistan