MOSCOW, August 1 (RIA Novosti, Abu-Ali Niyazmatov) - Uzbekistan views the evacuation of its refugees as foreign intervention and an attempt to play the so-called "refugee card," the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"The so-called 'humanitarian evacuation' of about 440 Uzbek citizens from Kyrgyzstan on July 28-29 was conducted by UN agencies in Kyrgyzstan in violation of international law and UN regulations," the statement said, noting that the preparations and evacuation itself were conducted secretly.
Uzbekistan sees no reason for such an act because the number of refugees who fled to Kyrgyzstan did not endanger the security of the Kyrgyz region that borders Uzbekistan, the ministry said. The ministry also said that since May 13 the number of refugees in Kyrgyzstan has decreased, as several dozen Uzbeks returned to their homes in Andijan and neighboring regions.
"Uzbek authorities have not charged, prosecuted, or put those people under pressure," the ministry said, adding that authorities have been negotiating the extradition of 26 Uzbek citizens charged with serious crimes committed before and during the Andijan uprising.
Romania is temporarily accommodating 439 Uzbek refugees, who will be moved to other countries in half a year.
An uprising occurred in Andijan, the third largest Uzbek city, on May 13 when armed Uzbeks seized a city prison and several government buildings. The government used troops to regain the buildings in violent clashes that led to 176 deaths and 295 injuries, according to Uzbek official data, causing refugees to flee to neighboring Kyrgyzstan.
