OSCE Chairman renews appeal to Kyrgyzstan to protect Uzbek asylum-seekers

VIENNA, 24 June 2005 - The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, renewed his appeal to the Government of Kyrgyzstan not to force refugees from Uzbekistan to return to their country against their will and said reports that further repatriations might be planned were deeply disturbing.

In a telephone conversation with Acting Foreign Minister Roza Otunbaeva, he expressed serious concern about news that some 29 Uzbek citizens could face forcible repatriation, in addition to four who were sent home earlier this month.

"The involuntary repatriation of more of the 460 refugees face who fled the violence in Andijan on 13 May would contradict the firm assurances given to the OSCE by leading members of the government in Bishkek," the Chairman-in-Office said.

"The safety and welfare of asylum-seekers who escaped the turmoil in Andijan and are currently sheltering in Kyrgyzstan must be assured by the Kyrgyz authorities, with assistance from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees."

Minister Rupel said the OSCE expected Kyrgyzstan to abide by its OSCE commitments and other international accords. "No further returns should take place without the proper procedures laid down in international agreements," he said.

The Chairman-in-Office recalled that the OSCE's Charter for European Security, which Kyrgysztan signed up to in 1999, committed participating States to "to respect the right to seek asylum and to ensure the international protection of refugees...as well to facilitate the voluntary return of refugees ...in dignity and safety."

Earlier this week, Minister Rupel reiterated his call for a credible, independent and international investigation into the events in Andijan following a report from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), which concluded that security forces used indiscriminate and disproportionate force against unarmed civilians.

The OSCE Chairman emphasized his concern for the plight of all the refugees in the Suzak Camp in Kyrgyzstan, who were still traumatized and fearful about the treatment of their relatives and friends in Uzbekistan.