U.N.: Uzbek refugees would face torture

UPI October 18 A U.N. human rights expert warns extradition of four Uzbek men from neighboring Kyrgyzstan could expose them to torture. The four men, suspected by the Uzbek government of criminal activity, are part of a group of 450 refugees who fled Uzbekistan after what the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights says may have been a massacre. Leonardo Despouy, the office's special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Tuesday cited Uzbekistan's record of systematic torture and recommended the men be resettled in a third country. A protest in Andijan, in eastern Uzbekistan, May 13 turned violent when government forces opened fire on unarmed demonstrators, Human Rights Watch said. But, Uzbekistan denies the HRW account and claims demonstrators were rebels plotting to overthrow the government. Last month, trials began for 15 of more than 100 people charged with inciting rebellion. The UNHCHR expressed concern about the fairness of the trial and treatment of suspects. Kyrgyzstan has agreed to resettle most of the refugees but has not yet decided how to respond to the extradition request. Despouy said Kyrgyzstan is a signatory to multiple international treaties that prohibit the return of refugees to countries where they may face torture. Uzbek authorities are already operating within Kyrgyzstan in an attempt to secure and return the four suspects, Despouy said.