U.S. Decries Uzbek Violence
Rice Urges Central Asian President to Institute Reforms
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Tuesday, May 17, 2005
ANDIJON, Uzbekistan, May 16 -- The United States said on Monday it was "deeply disturbed" by reports that Uzbek authorities fired on protesters last week.
On Friday, security forces in the city of Andijon put down a rebellion sparked by the trial of 23 Muslim businessmen. President Islam Karimov blamed Islamic extremists for the uprising. It was the bloodiest incident in Uzbekistan since it gained independence in 1991 after the breakup of the Soviet Union.
"We certainly condemn the indiscriminate use of force against unarmed civilians and deeply regret any loss of life," the State Department spokesman, Richard A. Boucher, said.
The comments were the strongest from the United States since the bloodbath, in which some witnesses and activists say government troops killed 500 people.
Uzbekistan, a mostly Muslim country, is an ally of the United States, which uses an air base in the country to support operations in neighboring Afghanistan. Human rights groups have repeatedly criticized the country for jailing dissident Muslims and using torture.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called on Karimov to relax his tight grip on political life. "We have been encouraging the Karimov government to make reforms, to make the system more open," she told reporters on her plane on the way home from Iraq. "This is a country that needs, in a sense, pressure valves that come from a more open political system."
Andijon remained tense on Monday, with parts of the city center blocked by armored personnel carriers and soldiers who raised their Kalashnikov assault rifles and clicked off the safety catches when pedestrians approached. Single gun shots could be heard overnight.
British Foreign Minister Jack Straw, who has pressed Uzbek officials for greater openness, said the government had promised to let foreign diplomats visit Andijon.
The violence in Andijon followed protests in the cities of Osh and Jalal-Abad in neighboring Kyrgyzstan that led to the overthrow of President Askar Akayev in March -- the third long-serving leader of a former Soviet republic to be toppled in 18 months.
