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International commission: â€œ74 percent of those killed in clashes in the south of Kyrgyzstan are ethnic Uzbeks â€

03 May 2011 15:12 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The International commission investigating last yearâ€™s inter-ethnic clashes in southern Kyrgyzstan has published its report. Introducing the report, the committee chairman Kimmo Kiljunen, confirmed that the pogroms suffered the most representatives of the Uzbek community. Among the dead, according to him, Uzbeks make up 74%.
After clashes in southern Kyrgyzstan, the republicâ€™s authorities initially did not disclose information about the nationality of the victims. However, they later admitted that most of the dead - Uzbeks. The commission chairman refused to assess the incidents as a military crime: â€œFrom the standpoint of international humanitarian law, there was not genocideâ€.

Allegations that the organization of pogroms involved international terrorists, head of the commission deemed unfounded: â€œThere is no evidence that any other country involved in the events in the south. And there is no evidence of involvement of international terrorist groups,â€ - he said.

Speaking about the role of the Kyrgyz authorities, Kiljunen said that they have not fulfilled their obligation to protect citizens.

The clashes, in which were involved representatives of the Kyrgyz and Uzbek communities, occurred in June 2010. Before the authorities managed to bring the situation under control, killed several hundred people, destroyed and burned several thousand homes. More than 75 thousand ethnic Uzbeks, escaping the pogroms in southern Kyrgyzstan, have fled to neighboring Uzbekistan. Later, the majority of refugees have returned to Kyrgyzstan.