"Necessary measures are being taken to resolve the situation."

Just for the sake of comparison with Ferghana.ru's account of the events in Andijan on Friday the 13th, here's the official (and rather incomplete) Uzbek government version of the story, from their news agency, UzA:

New update on events in Andizhan - 14.05.2005 02:09

Due to latest events, The President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov arrived in the city of Andizhan early in the morning of May 13th.

After the comprehensive study of the situation, the head of the state, gave specific instructions to corresponding organizations and government bodies. In the evening of the same day he returned to Tashkent.
* * *

As it was earlier reported, a group of armed men attacked the guards on duty of the patrol-sentry service and the military unit in Andizhan city between 00.30 and 01.00 am local time on 13 May.

Having seized tens of units of small arms, the armed people attacked the correctional labor colony and freed a group of the imprisoned.

As a result of the clashes, 9 people dies and 34 were injured.During the day, intensive talks continued between the authorities and the people occupying regional administration building. Representatives of the public, relatives and all interested parties have joined the talks.

The fighters were holding women, children and hostages and did not agree for a compromise to solve the conflict situation.

Necessary measures are being taken to resolve the situation.

Ferghana.ru in English!

This is the best summary of the events in English that I've seen so far - this is available in English on the Ferghana.ru website, so thankfully I didn't have to translate it:

Uzbek Troops Fire on Thousands at Andijan Rally
IWPR, Galima Bukharbaeva, 14.05.2005

Demonstration turns violent as Tashkent authorities send in soldiers to shoot at crowds.
By IWPR staff in Uzbekistan (RCA No. 376, 13-May-05)

Troops opened fire on thousands of demonstrators in the Uzbek city of Andijan on May13, bringing a bloody climax to protests sparked by a trial of local businessmen accused of being Islamic radicals.As thousands of people including many women and children took part in a rally in the centre of the city, located in the east of the Fergana Valley, two columns of armoured cars moved in on the crowds and fired on civilians apparently indiscriminately.

IWPR’s country director Galima Bukharbaeva saw at least five blood-covered bodies lying on the ground, and many other people were injured. Some protesters who had earlier seized Kalashnikovs and other weapons from a military base returned fire at the security forces. The crowd panicked and people ran in all directions to escape the gunfire.

There had been peaceful protests on May 10-11 outside a courtroom where 23 men were on trial on charges of being Islamic radicals – which they all deny. But the situation suddenly escalated early overnight on May 12-13 when a group of their supporters raided a local military base and seized weapons. They then stormed the prison and freed the defendants along with all the other inmates. Crowds appeared in central Andijan and broke into the regional government building. Reports said they also tried to capture the local office of the National Security Service, SNB, the successor to the KGB in Uzbekistan, but were repulsed.

When the troops moved in, IWPR contributors estimated there were 20,000 people gathered on the square outside the local government building. Uzbekistan’s state-run and heavily controlled media remained tight-lipped, but shortly before the armoured vehicles went in, national TV put out a statement saying “there have been talks with the bandits all day, but they did not lead to anything. The criminals are using women and children as cover. There has not been a single death so far”.

Kabuljon Parpiev, one of the leaders of the protest, said before the assault that there were up to 50 people dead, as security forces ringing the city centre were firing shots from about one kilometre away. Other reports spoke of nine dead at this point. The protesters had about 30 hostages – police, SNB officers and provocateurs. Rally organisers were maintaining order and people were building barricades.

Parpiev said he had spoken by phone with Uzbekistan interior minister, Zokir Almatov, asking him to secure the release of Akram Yuldashev, who is alleged to have provided the inspiration for the 23 accused.

According to Parpiev, at first Almatov told him that he would try to get Yuldashev released, but in a subsequent phone call the minister took a tougher line, saying the judges in the case had refused the request, and that “the authorities will mount an assault on the rebels and take the city by force”. [...]

This report was compiled from reports filed from Andijan by IWPR’s Uzbekistan project director Galima Bukharbaeva and from Tashkent by IWPR contributor Malik Boboev.

Blogger is back - more on Andijan

Blogger was down for a couple of hours, during which time I posted the translation below in the comments section on Registan.net. Thanks to Nathan for providing a forum on this topic and for spreading the word about all of the translations I've put up today.

The leader of the Uzbek opposition wants to draw on Georgian experience. 22:35 (MSK)

TBILISI, 13 May - RIA “Novosti,” Marina Kvaratskheliia. The leader of the Uzbek opposition, chairman of the Democratic Party Mukhammed Salikh, wants to draw on the Georgian experience of a revolutionary change of power.

“We are currently working on moving the process onto a peaceful, democratic course. We are doing everything possible to draw on the experience of the peaceful revolutions in Georgia, Ukraine, and Kirghizia [sic],” said Salikh from Oslo in a telephone interview with the Georgian television station “Mze.”

According to him, “we must get rid of Islam Karimov’s regime with a minimum of losses.” “In this respect the experience of Georgia and of Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili will be very useful to us,” said Salikh.

The politician emphasized, that the events in the Uzbek city of Andijan are not an Islamic revolution. “This is not an uprising of Islamists, but rather an uprising of simple people, who are sick and tired of Karimov’s regime. Karimov is doing everything to crush this uprising in the bloodiest way,” said Salikh.

Nathan says it's a stretch to call this guy the leader of the Uzbek opposition, and he knows a lot more about this part of the world than I do, so I'll take his word on it.

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.

"External forces, including the US Congress, may try to make use of the situation"

RIA Novosti (their translation) has some comments from a Russian Duma deputy in which he slings a bit of mud the US's way:

ZATULIN: DELAY OF UZBEK AUTHORITIES CAN LEAD TO DISORDERS IN OTHER TOWNS 19:50

MOSCOW, May 13 (RIA Novosti) - If the Uzbek government does not take prompt measures disorders may begin in other towns of Uzbekistan, said Russian State Duma deputy, director of the Institute of CIS Countries Konstantin Zatulin. The parliamentarian does not rule out that the disorders in Andizhan were caused by
some domestic factor.

"Supporters of radical Islam in the Fergana valley are the main opponents of [Uzbekistan's or Islam] Karimov," Zatulin stressed.

However, he does not rule out some external factor. "Uzbekistan recently gave up the US support and started pursuing careful policy. After the events in Kyrgyzstan they [the Uzbek government] decided that Americans did not back local interests," the deputy said.

In his opinion, repressions against the opposition can be following the suppressed rally in Andizhan. "It will cause ambiguous reaction in the regions where Karimov is very unpopular. External forces, including the US Congress, may try to make use of the situation," Konstantin Zatulin noted.

The latest from Fergana.ru - no comment necessary

Violent repression of the rebellion in Uzbekistan has led to hundreds of deaths
Fergana.Ru, D. Kislov, Chief Editor, 13.05.2005

According to official reports disseminated by Uzbekistani authorities, during today's clashes in Andijan 9 people perished and 34 were injured. However, according to a telephone report from Saidjakhon Zainabitdinov, an attorney from Andijan, the number of killed and wounded in Andijan is in the hundreds.

"Government forces took over the city. They opened fire from BTR's [armored personnel carriers], machine guns, and rifles, on the demonstrators and rebels who were holed up in the regional administration building. The residents of the city feel like hostages, we are in a dangerous situation. We ask you to call Andijan every hour, so that we can maintain a connection to the outside world," stated S. Zainabitdinov.

According to other eyewitnesses, the security forces took radical measures after unsuccessful negotiations with the rebels, which, according to some reports, were conducted over the telephone by the country's president, Islam Karimov. In spite of the official reports that the rebels took women and children as hostages, apparently this fact and the presence of peaceful civilians on the city streets did not stop the country's top leadership from taking the strongest possible measures.

Currently in the center of the city and on its outskirts, shoot-outs continue. The city administration building is under the control of the rebels. Their resistance is a matter of time. Most likely, negotiations will no longer be possible, and the military units have received orders to destroy the "akromists."

The violent put-down of the "Andijan uprising" can be considered a Pyrrhic victory for Islam Karimov. It's already apparent to all of enlightened humanity that this is not a case of Islam Karimov as the "savior of Central Asia from Islamic radicalism" battling the aggressive would-be builders of the Khalifate. The reasons for popular uprisings, and that is how the uprising in the Andijan region should eb classified, lie in the difficuly socio-economic position of the residents of the Fergana Valley and the years-long repression of the basic basic rights and freedoms of the citizens of Uzbekistan.

Translation by Lyndon.

Andijan - is it over?

Thanks to Nathan for pointing out the Centrasia.ru site. Here's their latest on the situation (translated by me):

The storm of Andijan is over. There is no one on the streets and rain is pouring down.
13.05.2005, 18:15 [MSK?]
According to local residents, the storm of the local administration building in Andijan took nearly an hour. Several loud explosions were heard from the direction of the regional hokimiyat. Then a downpour began and now there are no soldiers or locals outside. Downtown one can hear sporadic machine-gun fire. It is not currently clear what is happening in the administration building. Andijan continues to be under an information blockade. It is practically impossible to reach anyone in the city by telephone.

If you do read Russian, check out the comments below this article. Some of them are quite incendiary.

By the way, note that RIA Novosti has a rather different take on the situation - that the protesters dispersed because of the rainstorm, the hostages are not yet freed, and gunfire continues to be heard. So presumably the standoff continues.

Things seem to be getting ugly

The latest from RIA Novosti (this one is not up in English in their site yet, so I've translated it):

"A storm of Andijan could begin at any moment" 17:47 MSK

Moscow, 13 May - RIA Novosti. Uzbekistani government forces could initiate a storm of Andijan at any moment, according to a telephone report provided on Friday to RIA Novosti by Saidjakhon Zainabitdinov, the chairman of the Andijan regional human rights defense society "Appeliatsiia."

"Just a half-hour ago all was quiet in the city, but now the situation is heating up, everything is complicated and unpredictable. It seems that government forces are about to storm the city, helicopters are patrolling overhead and in between rolls of thunder one can hear bursts of machine-gun fire," said the human-rights defender.

Zainabitdinov reported that roughly 30 thousand people had gathered near the regional administration headquarters. According to him, "Navoi Prospekt [the main street in the city] is filled with people along the distance between three bus stops, and people continue to arrive."

The city is tightly encircled by government troops, military vehicles are stationed at the exit from the city, and it is impossible to get into Andijan from other cities, reported Zainabitdinov.

If the situation did not seem so dire, I would try to crack wise about someone determining the distance along which a street is covered in people using the number of bus stops as a measure - only in the former USSR.

Update - at 18:00 MSK, RIA posted another report from Zainabitdinov - here it is, translated, in its entirety:

There is intensive gunfire in Andijan, and many victims - Saidjakhon Zainabitdinov, chairman of the Andijan regional human rights defense society.

Short and scary.

Russian pundits - and one unnamed "expert" - weigh in on Andijan

A selection of commentary on the situation from RIA Novosti (I'm not block-quoting because this post is long enough as it is):

UNREST IN UZBEKISTAN MAY DESTABILIZE THE REGION - 15:30

MOSCOW, May 13 (RIA Novosti) - Unrest in Andizhan (Uzbekistan) can destabilize the situation in Central Asia, said Dina Malysheva, a leading researcher at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

According to her, the socio-economic and political situation in Uzbekistan and the rest of Central Asia has been tense since the 1990s. The situation in Uzbekistan was complicated by the fact that the so-called Islamic extremists found refuge in the country's Fergana Valley. But it would be too simple to explain the current unrest in Andizhan by the new revival of Islamism, though the city has been a center of unofficial opposition Islamic movement of Uzbekistan since the early 1990s.

"It is very easy to say that the participants in unrest are members of Islamic organizations. We have been placing the label of Islamic extremism and terrorism without distinction on everyone who opposes the official authorities," said the expert. She pointed to several factors that could provoke unrest.

First, relations between the people and law enforcers are a major problem. The harsh actions taken by the authorities against the "Islamic extremists" provoked public discontent. So, unrest could be a reply to the abuse of power and the harsh actions of the authorities. Proof of this is the fact that one of the first facilities to be attacked in Andizhan was a penitentiary. Part of prisoners were released. On the other hand, the events could be part of a criminal war: the role of criminal structures, which sometimes act under Islamist flags, has grown of late.

Second, the events in Andizhan could be provoked by the socio-economic situation. The government failed to deal with mass unemployment, social inequality, jobless youths and growing drug trafficking. These problems may be the core of destabilization, which took the form of unrest. Even if the authorities put out the revolt, this will not solve the problems. And Andizhan and other regions may be shaken by new outbreaks of violence. Hence, the government should spotlight social problems and economic reforms.

Third, the revolt cannot be viewed separately from the wave of "color revolutions" which began in the region in Kyrgyzstan. The threat of revolutions forces the regional authorities to deal with every element of discontent with special vigilance and harshness, even if thee are no revolutionaries or Islamic extremists behind the events.

"The revolution in Kyrgyzstan created a precedent of an easy way of solving problems by violence," Malysheva said. And now the Uzbek authorities can only act firmly and nip the revolt in the bud, though this is not a guaranteed medicine.

"In the worst possible case, the [revolutionary] flames can spread to other regional states, and we may have a second civil war in Tajikistan," the expert thinks.

There is one more key element: "To believe information from Uzbekistan, the rebels have appealed to the Russian president to interfere and mediate for them. It is difficult to say who are these people and what aims they pursue. But, one way or another, the events in Uzbekistan is a chance for such regional structures as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to show in deed what it can do."



RUSSIAN EXPERT: DISORDERS IN ANDIZHAN ARE WELL-PLANNED ACTION 14:56

MOSCOW, May 13 (RIA Novosti) - Disorders in Andizhan in eastern Uzbekistan are a well-planned action, said a Russian expert in the fight against international terrorism. He preferred to remain anonymous.

"The primary analysis of these events shows that the seizure of the police station was well planned and prepared," the expert told RIA Novosti. In his opinion, the seizure of state institutions was a classical sabotage operation.

"A group of well-armed militants on several cars attacked the police station to seize weapons and release their accomplices from jail," the expert noted.

Speaking about the actions of Uzbekistan's authorities, RIA Novosti's interlocutor said, "[Uzbekistan's President] Karimov arrival in rebellious Andizhan let the law enforcement bodies take control over the situation."

RIA Novosti reached a resident of Andizhan on the phone. In his words, the situation in the town was rather calm. There was shooting in the morning but it ceased. The broadcasting of Russian TV and radio channels was stopped but mobile communications are operating.



UZBEK AUTHORITIES TO QUELL ANDIZHAN RIOTS 14:54

MOSCOW, May 13 RIA Novosti) - Russian political scientists believe that riots in Andizhan, Uzbekistan, will not escalate into a revolution, and that they will be quelled.

According to Russian analysts, President Islam Karimov, who is criticized by the West for infringing upon democratic freedoms, will resolutely quell such unrest.

"The Uzbek regime, which has resolutely crushed all attempted resistance in the past, will do the same today," professor Andranik Migranyan from the Moscow Institute of International Relations believes.

Andizhan rebels, who seized a number of key administrative buildings, and who released local prison inmates, called on Russia to mediate the conflict for the sake of avoiding bloodshed. Troops have moved into the city, Andizhan sources noted. Andizhan is located in Fergana valley that links Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Unlike Kyrgyzstan, no revolutionary situation has so far shaped up in Uzbekistan. For their own part, Kyrgyz elites became discontent with weak president Askar Akayev in conditions of developed democratic institutions. Akayev was overthrown as a result.

"There is no revolutionary situation for lack of external influence and clear-cut discontent of national elites," Migranyan added.

On the contrary, Sergei Mikheyev from the Center for Political Technologies believes that some Uzbek forces would like to overthrow Karimov or to destabilize the situation.

"Karimov no longer offers well-balanced support for local elites. Consequently, inter-clan clashes are possible. Moreover, Uzbekistan is seriously influenced by Islamists and drug barons. Islamism and drug barons are one and the same thing today," Mikheyev told RIA Novosti.

Talking to the mass media, the instigators claim that they are linked with the Akramiya organization that was established by Akram Yuldashev. Yuldashev was sentenced to 15 years in prison for extremism and terrorism. However, local human-rights activists are saying that he is a political prisoner. Twenty-three Akramiya members have stood trial in Andizhan since February.

Mikheyev is also sure that Karimov will use force in order to prevent riots from spreading. "Karimov is now making it clear that the preservation of power is his main goal. Karimov will re-establish law and order, disregarding the price," the expert on Central Asia believes.

Note - previous posts had material translated by me, but these were all provided in English by RIA Novosti - they have some fast-working translators over there. Credit where credit is due.

Uzbekistan update - 2

It's not clear to me whether the storm of rebel positions reported earlier on Channel 1 and Lenta.ru actually took place - other outlets are reporting that Uzbek troops are massing around Andijan in apparent preparation for a storm of the entire city this evening. RIA Novosti has one page with all of its reports on the situation (in Russian), and the latest, issued at 2:50pm MSK, is as follows:

"Troops are moving towards Andijan, a storm of the city is possible"

Troops are deploying around Andijan, where riots erupted on Friday. According to a report from Fergana.ru correspondent Alexey Volosevich given to RIA Novosti over the telephone, it's possible that the city will be stormed this evening.

"There is no authority in the city," reports the journalist. "One gets the impression that Andijan has been locked up and that the authorities are preparing a storm of the city, which can be expected closer to the evening."

According to Volosevich, near the city jail are several burned-out cars and four dead bodies. "Inside the jail there are many dead people," he said.

Who knows what can be believed of the reports currently flying around about the situation. It seems like good information is in short supply right now. Probably the only way to observe this from afar is to sit back and wait for more reliable sources to come forward with full reports, although that probably won't happen until after the crisis is resolved.

If anything interesting comes across the wires, I'll try to post it if time permits. Otherwise, Nathan should be awake and posting on this in a couple of hours, and I know he will have the best information available.