Police opened fire on thousands of protesters in the central Asian state of Uzbekistan on Friday, after an armed mob stormed a jail to free 23 men accused of Islamist extremism.
At least 12 people were killed and dozens injured in the fighting in the eastern town of Andijan. Fifteen police officers were held hostage by rioters.
Demonstrators in the central square demanded the resignation of the authoritarian President, Islam Karimov. Some protesters had taken over the local administration building and were flanked by men armed with machine guns.
On Friday afternoon, witnesses reported that a truck of soldiers drove into the crowd three times, firing into it or into the air. ”I was lying down, but the guy next to me was dead,” said one witness. He said he had seen five people injured in the shooting.
The government claimed that protesters had opened fire on troops. It insisted it was in control of the town and had retaken the administration building in bitter fighting with armed protesters.
A government source told Reuters on Friday night: ”The square has been cleared. Protesters have left. The building has been freed from those who seized it. The search for weapons is under way.”
The witness said he and other protesters were fleeing the town. ”It’s too dangerous here,” he said. The last gunfire had been at 7pm local time on a main road near the centre.
Protesters reportedly used a police hostage as a ”human shield” when engaging troops. The authorities said in a televised statement: ”The militants are sheltering behind women, children and hostages. They will not compromise with the authorities.”
Some reports said that 50 people had died in clashes with the police. Karimov’s press service said he had rushed to the scene to negotiate. Officials said he had later returned to the capital, Tashkent.
The unrest threatened to spark wider popular revolt in Uzbekistan, an impoverished state of 26-million people. It borders Kyrgyzstan, where violent protests in March ousted the country’s authoritarian government. Uzbekistan, the most brutal dictatorship in the former Soviet Union, has cracked down on dissent since three protest-led regime changes swept through the region in the last 19 months.
Uzbekistan has been a United States ally in the war on terror since 2001, and hosts a vital airbase in the south. Critics say this has caused Washington to turn a blind eye to its torture record. The US on Friday night called on the government and protesters to show restraint.
”We are concerned about the outbreak of violence, particularly by some members of a terrorist organisation that were freed from prison,” White House spokesperson Scott McClellan said.
The violence began on Thursday night when a group of men stormed a local jail, releasing hundreds of prisoners, including 23 business and community leaders on trial on ”extremism” charges — membership of a moderate Islamist group known as Akramiya.
A cinema and theatre were on fire in the town as a military helicopter circled overhead. Protesters said the interior ministry had refused to negotiate, and they urged the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, to intervene. They also took 15 police officers hostage.
Moscow kept its distance. The Russian foreign ministry said in a statement: ”Russia denounces the sortie of extremists in Uzbekistan who are using force and unconstitutional methods to achieve their political goals, which has already claimed human lives. Russia supports the authorities of friendly Uzbekistan at this difficult period.”
The EU blamed the government for the protests, saying it had ”not paid sufficient respect to human rights, rule of law and poverty alleviation”.
Businesses in the town were closed on Friday, but there were no reports of looting.
A middle-aged man said: ”I used to have a job, but there is no justice under this government. We are not Islamic extremists — just ordinary people fed up with corruption.”
One of the 23 Islamists released, Abduvosid Egomov, told the Associated Press: ”We are ready to die instead of living as we are now … like dirt.” – Guardian Unlimited Â