Following yesterday’s generally positive developments regarding the fate of the 450-odd Uzbek refugees who fled to Kyrgyzstan after the Andijan disturbances, there are still concerns that some of them could be repatriated to Uzbekistan by the Kyrgyz authorities, despite international pressure not to do so.
A spot report from the OSCE Centre in Bishkek highlights that Kurmanbek Bakiev has not ruled out extradition:
He [Bakiev] also noted that among the more than 400 Uzbeks who had sought refugee status in Kyrgyzstan after the Andijan events in May there were 12 persons who had committed crimes in Uzbekistan. In this regard, Bakiev underlined, “My position is that criminals must be in prison. Now, the Prosecutor’s Offices of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan are studying documents of 12 citizens of Uzbekistan”.
The report came via the KelKel Yahoo! Group List and the full text of Spot Report 17/05, can be read here.
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Report from KyrgyzInfo that Australia is taking 50 of the refugees: http://www.kyrgyzinfo.kg/?art=1122636546
Interesting, a week ago Tashkent sent Kyrgyz authorities new documents and information concerning the 29 refugees in prison, and why they should be returned to Uzbekistan:
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/7/45D45578-500D-4A92-B4A1-CD18D0352A07.html
And yesterday 14 of those 29 were released. I guess those new documents weren’t that convincing.
I’m sure those documents have been shown to foreign diplomats as well, because who would want to grant asylum to a violent criminal or terrorist?
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