Son Of Russian Lawyer For Andijon Refugees Found Dead

September 18, 2006 14:22 GMT

Official Uzbek figures say that 187 people died when the Uzbek government cracked down on antigovernment demonstrations in Andijon in May 2005; independent estimates suggest hundreds were killed. (epa) PRAGUE, September 18, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- A Russian nongovernmental organization says the son of a lawyer who is representing a group of Uzbek and Kyrgyz nationals who are awaiting deportation to Uzbekistan has died in mysterious circumstances.

The Migration and Law NGO reports on its website Svetlana Martynova's 22-year-old son was found dead in the central Russian city of Ivanovo on September 14.

Authorities say Aleksandr Martynov died of an overdose. However, Martynova claims her son never took any drugs.

She says her son's face was so swollen and covered with bruises that she hardly recognized him.

One Kyrgyz and 12 Uzbek nationals have been awaiting extradition in an Ivanovo prison cell. Uzbekistan accuses them of helping organize antigovernment protests in Andijon in May 2005.

The Russian Prosecutor-General's Office last month ruled that they should be deported to Uzbekistan. It later suspended the procedure pending a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights.

Andijon Anniversary Conference

Violence in Andijon, Uzbekistan, on May 14, 2005 (epa)

TALKING ABOUT ANDIJON: On May 9, 2006, RFE/RL, the National Endowment for Democracy, and U.S.-based human rights organizations cohosted a conference on the May 2005 events in Andijon and their aftermath in Uzbekistan and throughout the region. The first panel featured Andijon eyewitness GALIMA BUKHARBAEVA, National Endowment for Democracy Fellow NOZIMA KAMALOVA, RFE/RL Central Asia analyst DANIEL KIMMAGE, and others. The second panel featured presentations by U.S. Senator JOHN MCCAIN and U.S. Congressman CHRISTOPHER SMITH, who used the forum to announce they had introduced legislation calling for sanctions and other measures against the government of President Islam Karimov.

LISTEN

Listen to the Andijon conference.
Part One (70 minutes):
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Part Two (60 minutes):
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The Uzbek government's response:
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THE COMPLETE STORY: A dedicated webpage bringing together all of RFE/RL's coverage of the events in Andijon, Uzbekistan, in May 2005 and their continuing repercussions.

CHRONOLOGY

For an annotated timeline of the Andijon events and their repercussions, click here.

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