Information on Loughborough

Human Rights

Posted on 22/11/2007
P. Klein

Posted on 22nd November 2007

P. Klein

torture victim

Loughborough MP Andy Reed has today welcomed the Human Rights Watch report into torture and ill treatment in Uzbekistan. Reed, appalled by the actions described in the report, called on the government to condemn Uzbekistan and called on Uzbekistan to change it practises and reject torture and ill treatment of all people.

Uzbekistan was part of the Soviet Union until December 25, 1991 and has a population of 26,593,000. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south. Uzbekistan hit the news in 2005 when the Andijan massacre occurred. The Uzbek Interior Ministry and National Security Service troops fired into a crowd of protesters in Andijan, Uzbekistan. Estimates of the number  killed range from between the official count of 187 and 5,000 people. The bodies of many of those who died were purportedly concealed in mass graves after the massacre.

Andy is disappointed by the Human Rights Watch report that says continuing torture and ill-treatment is still occuring in Uzbekistan. Several cases presented in the report demonstrate how systematic the human rights abuse is in the country. Andy is saddened that progress has not been forthcoming in view of the fact that the UN sent its Special Rapporteur on Torture in 2003.

Andy said of the report "it is so important that reports like this need to be published as they provide an insight into the actions of states. We need to take notice of these reports and continue to put pressure both on the British Government and Uzbekistan so as to bring about change.

I welcome the report and support the recommendations including calling on Uzbekistan to comply with its obligations under the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel Treatments and to comply with all UN treaties and reports on torture.

I am dismayed that such practises continue in the world today and look forward to a time when reports such as this one are not needed.

To see the report which Loughborough MP Andy Reed is commenting on for your self go to the Human Rights Watch website or follow the following link, http://hrw.org/reports/2007/uzbekistan1107/

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