Russian Group Challenges Uzbek's Extradition

October 31, 2006 18:03 GMT

FSB Director Nikolai Patrushev (file photo) (ITAR-TASS) October 31, 2006 -- A Russian nongovernmental group that provides legal assistance to asylum seekers has challenged Moscow's decision to deport Uzbek national Rustam Muminov to his home country.

In an open letter to Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Nikolai Patrushev, the NGO Grazhdanskoye Sodeistvie says Muminov's extradition was illegal.

Muminov was forcibly sent back to Tashkent on October 24, despite an earlier decision by the Russian Prosecutor-General's Office to not hand him over to Uzbek authorities.

Muminov was arrested a few days earlier on charges of violating Moscow's residency rules.

The FSB admitted to expelling Muminov only on October 27, saying the deportation had taken place that day and had been endorsed by a Moscow court.

Grazhdanskoye Sodeistvie says Muminov should not have been deported because he had appealed against his arrest and that another Moscow court was due to consider his case on November 2.

(muslimuzbekistan.net, ferghana.ru)

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.

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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.

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

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