Kyrgyz troops abused civilians during security operations in southern Kyrgyzstan, concluded Human Rights Watch in a report published Monday.
The incident took place in the village of Nariman, described by HRW as one of the flashpoints in the ethnic violence that erupted on June 21 near southern city of Osh. Two people were killed and 20 wounded in Nariman.
In the violence overall, at least 190 people died and an estimate 2,000 were injured, according to figures published by the ministry of health. However, the state admits that their unofficial figures are 10 times higher.
The abuses in Nariman occurred after military forces removed barricades erected by Uzbek residents to protect the village, says the report.
Kyrgyz police and military forces entered the village about 6 a.m. local time to conduct a search-and-seizure operation. They went from house to house demanding the documents and looking for the person responsible for the killing of the village police chief.
Nariman residents told HRW that after several people had presented their documents, the security forces began to beat them with rifle butts. A 58-year-old man died five hours later after the forces had beaten him, according to one of the witnesses.
The military officers also smashed cars, furniture, and windows, and took money.
HRW condemned the military saying they should not have escalated the situation.
“These incidents underscore why so many Uzbeks say they don’t trust the security forces. The police and army should be protecting people, not abusing them during security operations,” said a statement by Ole Solvang, emergency researcher at Human Rights Watch who is in Osh.
The ethnic violence in the southern region of Kyrgyz has produced an estimated 400,000 people, both Kyrgyz and Uzbek.
Kyrgyzstan’s interim government accused deposed officials of the overthrown clan of instigating the disorder in an attempt to cancel the scheduled referendum for June 27. The referendum seeks parliamentary reform and will limit the power of the presidency.
In April, there was a violent coup, which left more than 80 opposition protesters dead and deposed President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who later fled to Belarus.
Despite the conflict situation, the Kyrgyz officials say they will conduct the referendum this weekend.
The incident took place in the village of Nariman, described by HRW as one of the flashpoints in the ethnic violence that erupted on June 21 near southern city of Osh. Two people were killed and 20 wounded in Nariman.
In the violence overall, at least 190 people died and an estimate 2,000 were injured, according to figures published by the ministry of health. However, the state admits that their unofficial figures are 10 times higher.
The abuses in Nariman occurred after military forces removed barricades erected by Uzbek residents to protect the village, says the report.
Kyrgyz police and military forces entered the village about 6 a.m. local time to conduct a search-and-seizure operation. They went from house to house demanding the documents and looking for the person responsible for the killing of the village police chief.
Nariman residents told HRW that after several people had presented their documents, the security forces began to beat them with rifle butts. A 58-year-old man died five hours later after the forces had beaten him, according to one of the witnesses.
The military officers also smashed cars, furniture, and windows, and took money.
HRW condemned the military saying they should not have escalated the situation.
“These incidents underscore why so many Uzbeks say they don’t trust the security forces. The police and army should be protecting people, not abusing them during security operations,” said a statement by Ole Solvang, emergency researcher at Human Rights Watch who is in Osh.
The ethnic violence in the southern region of Kyrgyz has produced an estimated 400,000 people, both Kyrgyz and Uzbek.
Kyrgyzstan’s interim government accused deposed officials of the overthrown clan of instigating the disorder in an attempt to cancel the scheduled referendum for June 27. The referendum seeks parliamentary reform and will limit the power of the presidency.
In April, there was a violent coup, which left more than 80 opposition protesters dead and deposed President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who later fled to Belarus.
Despite the conflict situation, the Kyrgyz officials say they will conduct the referendum this weekend.
