"Where is the justice?" [electronic resource] : interethnic violence in Southern Kyrgyzstan and its aftermath / [Ole Solvang and Anna Niestat]

Title from PDF title page (Human Rights Watch, viewed August 16, 2010).

"August 2010"--Table of contents page.

"This report was written by Ole Solvang, researcher in the Emergencies Division at Human Rights Watch and Anna Neistat, associate director for Program/Emergencies."--P. 90.

Maps -- Summary -- Methodology -- Background: old grievances and political upheaval -- Mayhem in Southern Kyrgyzstan June 10-14 -- The role of government forces in the attacks -- Use of government weapons in the attacks -- Failure to prevent and stop the violence -- Killings, torture, and arbitrary arrests in the aftermath of the June violence -- Failure to prevent continued interethnic violence -- International response -- Recommendations -- Acknowledgements.

"For four days in June 2010, violence engulfed southern Kyrgyzstan, as ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks clashed, leaving hundreds of people dead, thousands homeless, and entire Uzbek neighborhoods burned to the ground. So far, the government's investigation into the violence has been marred by abuses. Arbitrary arrests and extortion have been widespread, and detainees, the majority of whom appear to be ethnic Uzbeks, have been routinely ill-treated in detention and denied due process guarantees. Today, the situation in the region is volatile and unpredictable, as the relationship between the two ethnic groups remains tense, and abuses by the authorities continue to fuel the conflict. There is an urgent need for prompt deployment of the agreed-upon international police presence and an independent international investigation into recent events to ensure accountability and reduce the potential for renewed violence. 'Where Is the Justice?' is based on more than 200 interviews with Kyrgyz and Uzbek victims and witnesses, lawyers, human rights defenders, and government officials and law enforcement personnel, as well as on the analysis of photographic, video, documentary, and forensic evidence, and satellite imagery. The report recreates the chronology of the June violence, analyzes the role of the Kyrgyz security forces in the events, and documents the irregularities in the government's subsequent investigation. The report argues that the actions of at least some government forces, knowing or unwitting, facilitated attacks on Uzbeks and their property, and that the response of local law enforcement to the violence did not provide appropriate protection to the Uzbek population."--P. [4] of cover.