UN agency appeals to Kazakhstan not to deport arrested Uzbek refugee

Expressing concern about an Uzbek refugee arrested by Kazakh security agents last week in the capital Almaty, allegedly at the request of Uzbekistan, the United Nations refugee agency today appealed to the Government not to deport him but to allow the agency access and provide further information.

The Uzbek refugee, who has been living in Kazakhstan for seven years with his family, has been in prison since his arrest on 24 June; during this time, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has not had access to him despite repeated requests over the past six days.

“The refugee has managed to call his wife, who said he reported that Uzbekistan had allegedly asked for his arrest. Kazakhstan would decide about his deportation within 10 days, he told his wife,” UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond told a news briefing in Geneva.

“UNHCR strongly encourages Kazakhstan to continue to adhere to international protection principles and we appeal to the Government not to deport this refugee and to allow us immediate access to him.”

Mr. Redmond said that the UNHCR office in Kazakhstan had been told by the authorities that it must wait until an internal investigation on the case is completed.

The Uzbek refugee arrived in Kazakhstan in 1999 fearing persecution because of his practice of Islam outside of the Uzbek State-run mosques. He obtained a Kazakh residence permit in 2003 and first came to UNHCR in 2005 to ask for refugee status following a visit to his house by Kazakh security agents. He reported that all of his family’s identity documents had been confiscated.

“After a thorough status determination procedure, UNHCR recognised the Uzbek as a refugee in June 2006. This procedure included a confirmation from Kazakh authorities that no criminal charges or cases had been filed against him,” said Mr. Redmond.

Kazakhstan is a signatory to the 1951 Convention on refugees and has always been committed to its international obligations. In July 2005, Kazakhstan arrested an Uzbek human rights activist upon the request of Uzbekistan, but released him and put him into the care of UNHCR. This decision came at a time when neighbouring countries had been coming under strong pressure from Uzbekistan to return Uzbek asylum seekers and refugees.

Hundreds of Uzbeks fled their country last year, mostly to Kyrgyzstan, after security forces in the eastern city of Andijan opened fire on demonstrators. Most of the 500 or so who fled to Kyrgyzstan were evacuated out by UNHCR in July after being accepted for urgent resettlement elsewhere.

The Uzbek Government claimed fewer than 200 people were killed in the unrest in Andijan last May. However, more than 450 of the Uzbek refugees subsequently provided testimony to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) regarding the events of 13 May 2005 and an OHCHR report in July concluded that based on consistent, credible testimony, military and security forces committed grave human rights violations that day.