FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On 1 st Anniversary of Andijan, International League for Human Rights Calls on U.S. Government to Impose Targeted Sanctions Against Uzbek Officials

( New York, NY) – May 12, 2006. Saturday, May 13th marks the first anniversary of the Andijan massacre, when Uzbekistan government troops opened fire on a crowd of unarmed civilians leading to hundreds of deaths. Repeated calls for an international, independent and transparent investigation into the Andijan events issued by the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) remained unanswered by the government of President Islam Karimov. Today, the League urges the U.S. government to follow the European Union’s example and adopt sanctions targeting President Karimov and his immediate circle of officials.

Today, President Karimov heads one of the most oppressive regimes in Central Asia one which, in the past year, has moved further towards dictatorship and away from democracy and the rule of law. The authorities have shut down hundreds of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) throughout the country, silenced the remaining independent media, and jailed scores of political opponents, journalists, human rights activists, and dissenting citizens, while forcing hundreds of others to flee into exile. International media outlets and foreign NGOs have been ordered to close their offices and leave Uzbekistan; recent notable expulsions include the BBC and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. These acts are emblematic of the Uzbek government’s efforts to hide the truth about Andijan from the international community and from its own citizens.

While the League welcomes the European Union (EU) and Switzerland’s limited sanctions against Uzbekistan, including a visa ban on 31 top officials and an embargo on the sale of arms and transfer of military technology, these measures fall dramatically short of a strong international response to such egregious human rights violations. Despite numerous appeals by international and local human rights NGOs, OSCE’s leading member states (including the United States and the European Union) have failed to invoke the Moscow Mechanism, which would authorize the organization to order an impartial investigation into the circumstances of the tragedy. To date, the United States has not introduced sanctions against Uzbekistan.

The League fully supports the U.S. Congressman Christopher H. Smith’s (R-NJ) initiative to reintroduce his Central Asia Democracy and Human Rights Promotion Act that would provide support for Uzbekistan’s beleaguered civil society, while establishing an effective sanctions mechanism against individuals responsible for human rights violations. The proposed legislative measure would introduce human rights and democracy benchmarks in U.S. relations with Central Asian states, helping to balance U.S. security interests with the need to promote regional stability based on the rule of law and respect for human rights.

Contact : Sergei Kalamytsau, Central Asia Researcher, centralasia@ilhr.org; 212-661-0480 ext. 101

Based in New York, with representation in Geneva and dozens of affiliates and partners around the world, the League is a non-governmental, non-profit organization now in its 65th year with consultative status at the United Nations, the Council of Europe, and the International Labor Organization. The League contributes to the African Commission and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). With the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights as its platform, the League raises human rights issues and cases before the UN and other inter-governmental regional organizations in partnership with our colleagues abroad, to amplify their voices and coordinate strategies for effective human rights protections.