Yes, libbies, I know, all kinds of pix with W., Rummy, etc, too, but it all started "somewhere"...
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| Europe |
| Berlin under fire for aiding Uzbek 'butcher' |
| 2005-12-20 |
| ISN SECURITY WATCH (20/12/05) - Despite repeated calls from human rights organizations and the UN, an Uzbek official allegedly involved in a massacre has entered and left Germany without being prosecuted. Uzbek Interior Minister Zokirjon Almatov was treated in a clinic in Hannover, Germany, for cancer. Almatov tops a list of 12 senior Uzbek officials who are banned from entering the EU because of their role in the brutal police crackdown on demonstrators in the Uzbek city of Andijan in May. Berlin said it made an exception to the EU travel ban to allow Almatov to seek life-saving treatment. As Uzbekistanâs interior minister for the past 14 years, Almatov commanded the troops who fired indiscriminately into the crowds of protestors in May in Andijan, killing possibly 500 people or more, according to eyewitnesses and human rights groups. Uzbek officials claim that only 187 were shot dead by state forces, and that all of those killed were âterroristsâ. The EU has since imposed an arms embargo on Uzbekistan, and the UN has said previously that torture at the hand of the feared Interior Ministry-commanded police was commonplace in the authoritarian Central Asian republic. Last Friday, the UN special rapporteur on torture, Manfred Nowak, called on Germany to prosecute Almatov, a man also known as the âButcher of Tashkentâ. Nowak said torture was used in Uzbekistan âagainst persons charged with serious crimes, such as acts against state interests, as well as petty criminals and othersâ. Human Rights Watch filed a case against Almatov for crimes against humanity for murder and torture with Germanyâs Federal Prosecution Office on 12 December. But Almatov has since left Germany, according to information obtained by Human Rights Watch from the German embassy in Tashkent. The organizationâs EU Director, Lotte Leicht, told ISN Security Watch via telephone on Tuesday that Berlin should not have let him leave. âThis man has committed some of the worst crimes against humanity,â she said. âIt is stunning that Germany is the only place on the globe where this man could receive treatment.â A spokeswoman of the Federal Prosecution Office in Karlsruhe told ISN Security Watch that no formal investigation had been opened against Almatov, so no one could stop him from traveling freely.âWe first have to clarify whether the allegations are sufficient to open an investigation,â the spokeswoman said. âThat takes some time.â Leicht said she was very disappointed by Germanyâs record in the Almatov case. âI know it can take time, but the facts against him are quite overwhelming, and they were established not only by NGOs, but by respected UN bodies,â she said. âMr. Almatov should have at least been prevented from leaving the country until a decision was made over his case.â Observers say Almatovâs case could be one of political horse-trading: Berlin had initially revoked his entry, but then reconsidered its position after the leadership in Tashkent threatened to expel German armed forces from Uzbekistan. Germany remains the only NATO country to be able to use Uzbek airspace for military flights. While Tashkent recently closed down a US military base on its territory, Germany has been allowed to keep its troops in the southern part of the country near the Afghan border. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #1 Yes, libbies, I know, all kinds of pix with W., Rummy, etc, too, but it all started "somewhere"... |
| Posted by: BigEd 2005-12-20 11:34 |