Contact with Andijan - translated by me from Fergana.ru

We have been able to contact the Fergana.Ru correspondent in Andijan
Information Agency Fergana.Ru, proprietary information, 13.05.2005 22:12 (MSK)

According to a telephone conversation with Fergana.Ru correspondent in Andijan Aleksey Volosevich, at the moment (22:00 Moscow time) in the area of the regional administration building shots can be heard. Apparently, the storm of the captured building of the regional hokmiyat is still ongoing, in spite of the reports from official Uzbek news media.

The rest of the city is steeped in darkness. No one is visible on the streets except for isolated groups of armed people in military uniforms. It's impossible to determine what type of troops they are or to what security forces they belong.

According to A. Volosevich, who spent time in the seized building and spoke with the rebels, today before the storm negotiations were conducted with the Minister of Internal Affairs Zakir Almatov. The main demand of the rebels was to free the leader of "Akromiya," Akrom Yukdashev. "The 'Akromiya' case is made-up," confirmed sources of Fergana.Ru's correspondent, "It was fabricated in order to take possession of the property of the 23 accused individuals." While we were in jail, our families had cars taken away, our relatives were kidnapped and beaten. The minister asked the rebels to disperse, but they refused. And after that the storm began.

Galima Bukharbaeva, correspondent for the London "Institute of War and Peace Reporting," who was in the thick of things in the center of Andijan, had her backpack shot through. She discovered this upon returing to her hotel. According to her, BTR's were firing directly on the crowd of people. G. Bukharbaeva confirms the reports of numerous casualties among the peaceful inhabitants of the city. Reuters correspondent Shamil Baigin, who is in Andijan, came under fire and is currently in [an unspecified] part of the city, hiding from bullets and from the "cleansing operations" ["zachistki"] which are being conducted by the security forces.