An
ethnic Uzbek was killed in Osh
after being dragged into a conflict by few men of
Kyrgyz origin.
On 7 July
2014 it was reported that a
man's body with signs of fatal injuries was given to his
relatives. His
body was kept in the Osh city morgue for two
days.
The
victim was identified to be Makhmudjan Nishanov. He was 38 years
old. He is an ethnic Uzbek, lived in the Ablazhan Mavlyanov Street of the Shahit Tepe district of the Osh
city.
The law
enforcement authorities have arrested a man involved in the murder of Nishanov, but, according to our source in Osh, the crime was
committed by a group of people.
According to eyewitnesses, Makhmudjan Nishanov sold pasta and cereals in the Osh farm market (previously
called Central). Shortly before his death he was approached by 5 people of
Kyrgyz origin, on the basis of domestic nationalism they started a conflict
that escalated into a serious clash. Witnesses do not want to talk about what
they know. What is known is that a
man who was party to the
conflict was arrested and he is in jail, and the others are declared wanted.
Our
organisation observes
ethnic Uzbeks believe that seeking protection of law enforcement agencies is useless. Usually such cases turn against them,
masking the cause of inter-ethnic conflict. Uzbeks are bullied
often on trump up charges against them.
The Association
for Human Rights in Central Asia encourages prosecution
and investigation agencies to
work objectively and fairly in investigating this crime. We
know that the publicity of such cases encourages the agents
of the State National Security Committee of Kyrgyzstan to identify sources of
information and to block their
contact with the independent media and human rights organisations. But the safety of victims of
inter-ethnic conflicts is provided
very badly.
