Amnesty International Warns Lack of Justice in Kyrgyzstan Could Fuel New Violence

Failure to deliver justice for the killing, rape and torture of civilians could lead to further clashes, Amnesty International warned ahead of the first anniversary of the violence that shook southern parts of Kyrgyzstan.

Four days of violent clashes between ethnic Kyrgyz and ethnic Uzbeks in the Osh and Jalal-Abad areas on June 10-14, 2010 left about 470 people dead, thousands injured and hundreds of thousands displaced.

According to local observers, 74 percent of those killed were Uzbek and 25 percent Kyrgyz.

One year on, Amnesty International's briefing, Still waiting for justice, calls on the Kyrgyzstani authorities to establish the truth about what happened and provide justice for the thousands of victims and their families.

"The failure to bring to justice those behind the violence could provide fertile soil for the seeds of future turmoil and future human rights violations," said Nicola Duckworth, Europe and Central Asia program director. "While the authorities have made some positive steps, such as providing compensation for the victims and promising to review allegations of torture, they still have much to do to address the litany of human rights violations that occurred during and after the violence and restore the confidence of all ethnic groups in Kyrgyzstan that they have an equal stake in the country's future."

About 20 cases of rape and other sexual violence have been documented during the violence but human rights monitors believe the real number is much higher. Many of the victims were Uzbek women and girls and the perpetrators mostly Kyrgyz men.

In the aftermath of the violence, Kyrgyzstani security forces used excessive force in their search operations and tortured or ill-treated detainees, Amnesty International's report found.

Ethnic Uzbeks accounted for 75 percent of the casualties and sustained 90 percent of property losses. However, according to official figures, of the 271 people who had been taken into custody in relation to the June violence, 230 were ethnic Uzbek and only 29 ethnic Kyrgyz.

Following unfair trials, during which allegations of forced confessions were not investigated, defense witnesses were not interviewed and lawyers were threatened and physically attacked, courts have handed down at least 27 life sentences, all for ethnic Uzbeks.

"Ethnic bias and corruption are behind the pervading impunity in Kyrgyzstan. Thousands of open cases relating to last June's violence are waiting completion. In the meantime, hundreds, if not thousands, of officials and civilians, ethnic Kyrgyz and ethnic Uzbek, are escaping accountability for their crimes," said Nicola Duckworth.
"The rule of law must be upheld in order to rebuild the trust between the ethnic groups and prevent future bloodshed. All crimes, including crimes against humanity, must be investigated and tried in fair proceedings."

The International Commission of Inquiry into the violence found there was strong evidence of widespread, systematic and coordinated offences against ethnic Uzbeks that would amount to crimes against humanity if proven in court.

The subsequent investigations and prosecutions were flawed and ethnically biased, the International Commission's May 2011 report found. It concluded that torture of detainees in connection with the violence had been "almost universal".

"The Kyrgyzstani authorities must implement its recommendations promptly," said Nicola Duckworth. "They must ensure that attacks, in the course of which Uzbek residents were beaten, killed and raped over several days, are investigated and prosecuted in accordance with international law."