KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Thousands of protesters jammed into Babur square in the city of Andijan, relishing a rare burst of defiance as one speaker after another condemned hardship under Uzbekistan’s despotic government.
Troops sent by President Islam Karimov’s Interior Ministry moved to quash the demonstration with ferocious and unexpected brutality.
“There was screaming, the women especially were crying, ‘Don’t shoot, don’t shoot!’ And the shooting continued for about half an hour,” human rights activist Lutfullo Shamsuddinov, who was on the square that day, told HRW in a report compiled for the anniversary.
According to Uzbekistan’s official account, around half of the 187 …read more
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
