West must press Uzbekistan on massacre-rights group

Reuters May 13 Western countries must increase pressure on authoritarian Uzbekistan to allow an independent inquiry into the massacre of civilians by troops a year ago, a leading human rights group said on Thursday. Witnesses said Uzbek troops opened fire in the eastern city of Andizhan last May 13 on a crowd that had gathered in the main square, hours after armed men broke 23 local businessmen out of jail and seized a government building. Hundreds of people were shot in Andizhan's central avenue as they tried to flee the main square, according to witness accounts. The authorities said 187 people -- mainly "terrorists and religious extremists" -- were killed. "The need for a coordinated and forceful international response to the Andizhan massacre is more urgent than ever," New York-based Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth said in a statement. He said the Uzbek government "had done nothing to hold the perpetrators of this atrocity accountable, and the international community failed to compel the Uzbek authorities to do so". "The U.S. and the EU must insist that the Uzbek government accept an independent, international inquiry and end its crackdown," he added. The authorities say they had put down an attack by foreign-paid Muslim radicals. Witnesses counter that thousands of unarmed civilians had gathered to protest against widespread poverty and the behaviour of officials. Around 180 people are officially known to have been jailed for up to 20 years on charges that included an attempted coup, terrorism and membership of banned religious groups during what human rights bodies say were unfair and often closed trials. Uzbekistan, a Central Asian nation of 26 million, has been ruled by authoritarian President Islam Karimov since Soviet times. Rights bodies say the country has thousands of political and religious prisoners, and that torture is rife in Uzbek jails. Karimov has forged close ties with former imperial master Russia after stinging international criticism over Andizhan. He says his nation which borders volatile Afghanistan is threatened by radical Islam. The United States closed a key air base in Uzbekistan last November after being evicted by the country following its criticism of the bloody crackdown on protesters in Andizhan. Uzbekistan has also cracked down on foreign aid groups and media since Western countries criticised the bloodshed.