Some remarkable excerpts from the stories of prominent Web sites covering the tragic events in Kyrgyzstan:
The New York Times’ story:
Barriers Removed in Kyrgyzstan Despite Uzbek Protests
“But at one checkpoint, one of the guards, an ethnic Kyrgyz named Bektemir Ergashev, 39, said the authorities were only searching for weapons to ensure that violence does not flare again.
Still, Mr. Ergashev, who said he was a former Kyrgyz soldier called up to help with security, made clear that he believed the Uzbeks got what they deserved.
He repeated a widely held rumor among ethnic Kyrgyz, saying that when the rioting broke out, Uzbeks had invaded a Kyrgyz women’s dormitory and raped several women. The police and hospitals have never provided any confirmation that such an assault occurred. Nor have Kyrgyz officials offered any evidence to back it up.
“It was only when we heard that our women had been raped that we gathered together and decided that we had to defend the Kyrgyz people,” he said. “We had to take revenge on the Uzbeks.”
The violence in southern Kyrgyzstan killed thousands, mostly Uzbeks. It also touched off a major refugee crisis as hundreds of thousands of Uzbeks tried to escape, many going across the border to Uzbekistan, where large camps have been established. Ethnic Uzbeks make up only about 15 percent of Kyrgyzstan’s population, but they are concentrated here in the south, and they form a prosperous merchant class.”
Human Rights Watch Observations:
Kyrgyzstan: Security Forces Abuse Civilians“A joint group of Kyrgyz police and military forces entered Nariman, on the northern outskirts of Osh, at about 6 a.m. to conduct a search-and-seizure operation. Nariman residents told Human Rights Watch that groups of 15 to 20 armed uniformed men went from house to house demanding identification documents and information about the killing of the village police chief, whom police say Nariman residents killed on June 12, 2010.
After several residents had presented their documents, the security forces started beating them with rifle butts and kicking them, victims and witnesses told Human Rights Watch. Residents said police demanded to know who was responsible for killing the police chief. The forces also smashed cars, furniture, and windows, and took money and jewelry from the residents. More than a dozen victims were brought to the Nariman hospital, where Human Rights Watch researchers saw them arriving and interviewed them.
One of the witnesses told Human Rights Watch that the security forces entered her home and beat four male relatives, causing the death of her 58-year-old husband, Sharabiddin Dosmatov. She said, "We trusted them. They were from the army. We were just sitting there at home. They tore my husband's passport and broke our cell phones. Then they severely beat my husband with their rifle butts. He died five hours later from the injuries."
Uzbek woman mourning her husband after Kyrgyz law enforcement beat him to death / Human Rights Watch
Some said that the security forces tore, burned, or took away their passports. One resident, who showed Human Rights Watch the burned passports of her male relatives, said that the security forces told the family, ‘You're not people, you don't need passports anymore.’”
Ferghana.ru story about death toll in Osh:
Kyrgyzstan: Unofficial information of local authorities indicates 1526 people killed in Osh and surrounding districts
“Referring to official data of Healthcare Ministry, Kyrgyz mass media report 179 people killed in the recent massacre. Meanwhile, the official government admits that the death toll can be much bigger since many people get buried without being transported to medical organizations or mortuary.
According to unofficial information, received by Ferghana.Ru from local authorities, 1526 people were killed in Osh and surrounding districts. Our sources indicate most of them were ethnic Uzbeks.
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