Human Rights: Elena Urlaeva, who was planning to ask the USA to deploy peacekeepers in Uzbekistan, was taken under house arrest from the office of [opposition party] Ozod Dekhkonlar. - Ferghana.Ru, Andrei Kudriashov, 17.05.2005 20.44
A protest rally was held on May 17th at 11am at the US Embassy in Tashkent demanding an end to the [Uzbek] security forces' despotism. However, demands that a peacekeeping contingent be deployed in Uzbekistan in connection with the tragic events in Andijan were not heard. Well-known human rights defender Elena Urlaeva, who had been planning to put forth this demand, was taken under house arest the day before and was not allowed to participate in the protest. This was reported to Ferghana.Ru correspondents by Bakhtier Namazov, an activist for the opposition party Ozod Dekhkonlar.
"On the evening of May 16, when Urlaeva was heading home, she noticed that the security forces were standing watch at the entrance to her apartment building. She then drove to the office of the Ozod Dekhkonlar party, being a member of the party's political council, and decided to spend the night there. At 8:30 in the morning she said on the phone that unknown persons were breaking down the door of the office. A half an hour later, Urlaeva was not found in the office. Law enforcement officials had placed her under house arrest.
Participants in the protest expressed the opinion that the authorities were afraid of Urlaeva's participation in the protest and the possibility of her meeting with American diplomats. The protest condemning the shooting of the peaceful residents of Andijan lasted about an hour.
[Translated by me. The original article (linked above) has photos.]
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