Twenty-one years after the tragic events in Andijan, Uzbekistani authorities continue to restrict independent investigation into the violent suppression of protests that claimed hundreds of lives. Survivors, witnesses, and relatives of victims still live in fear and under pressure, while participants in the May 2005 protests continue to face persecution, imprisonment, and stigmatisation. Ahead of the anniversary of the tragedy taking place on 13 May 2005, the Association for Human Rights in Central Asia (AHRCA), the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC) and International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) reiterate calls for an independent investigation into the tragic events and for justice and redress for the victims.
On 13 May 2005, thousands of mostly peaceful protestors gathered on Babur Square in Andijan amid growing public anger over poverty, repression, and the trial of 23 local businessmen accused of involvement in the informal Islamic movement “Akramiya”, which was later banned in Uzbekistan. At some stage, security forces opened fire on demonstrators after some had occupied government buildings earlier that day. According to official figures, 187 people were killed, although witnesses and independent sources believe the real death toll was significantly higher, potentially reaching several hundred victims. To date, the Uzbekistani authorities have refused to allow an independent international investigation to establish what happened.
“The Andijan tragedy remains an unhealed wound for Uzbekistan,” Nadejda Atayeva, President of AHRCA, said: “Instead of ensuring truth, accountability, and justice for victims, the authorities continue to preserve a repressive narrative that shifts blame onto survivors, witnesses, and those associated with the events. Twenty-one years later, the lack of an independent investigation continues to fuel impunity and undermine trust in the justice system.”
After the May 2005 events, many were convicted and sentenced to long prison sentences after politically motivated trials. However, new sentences have also been imposed in recent years.
For example, as recently as in January 2023, Mukhamadvali Kayumov was sentenced to over 15 years in prison on charges relating to his alleged involvement in the Andijan events. After living in Sweden for 6 years, where he was granted asylum, he travelled back to Uzbekistan in March 2022 based on diplomatic assurances from the Uzbekistani embassy in Sweden that it would be safe for him to return. Four months later, he was arrested. Initially accused of hooliganism (a less serious crime), he was subsequently charged with terrorism, encroachment on the constitutional order, participation in a criminal organisation, and involvement in a banned religious organisation Akromiya. On 5 January 2023, he was sentenced to 15 years and 6 months in prison.
The newly available case materials raise serious concerns regarding violations of the right to a fair trial, the prohibition of arbitrary detention, and the principle of legality guaranteed under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The prosecution appears to have relied primarily on Kayumov’s previous social connections, religious environment, and alleged association with persons labelled as “Akromists”, whilst failing to provide any evidence of specific criminal acts or wrongdoing.
Particularly troubling is the fact that many of the activities cited in the indictment allegedly took place years before “Akramiya” was officially banned in Uzbekistan in 2016. Prosecuting individuals retroactively for involvement in an organisation that had not yet been formally prohibited directly contradicts the principle of nullum crimen sine lege (“no crime without law”), a cornerstone of international criminal justice, which is also enshrined in Uzbekistani law – specifically Article 30 of the Constitution (prohibiting the use of unpublished laws) and Article 13 of the Criminal Code (barring retroactive application of laws that criminalise acts or worsen a person’s legal position).
The judgment against Kayumov includes testimony from Uzbekistani citizens who had previously received international protection abroad but later returned to Uzbekistan, often because they found it hard to endure separation from family members remaining in the country. The testimonies suggest a pattern in which returnees become drawn into repressive practices and used by the state to testify against one another in criminal proceedings linked to the 2005 Andijan events. Kayumov is currently suffering from a serious liver condition and urgently requires hospital treatment, which the prison authorities have reportedly refused to provide. He has also reportedly been subjected to other forms of ill-treatment in detention, including being forced to stand for hours in the sun without a hat or exposed to rain.
Brigitte Dufour, Director of IPHR, stressed “we remain seriously concerned that the Uzbekistani authorities have not ensured accountability for past and recent grave human rights violations, including the 2005 Andijan events and the more recent violent crackdown on the July 2022 protests in Karakalpakstan. Lasting stability and public trust cannot be built on impunity and the suppression of critical voices. Meaningful progress requires transparent investigations, justice for victims, and an end to the persecution of people connected to these events.”
AHRCA, NHC, and IPHR call on the Uzbekistani authorities to facilitate an independent, transparent, and international investigation into the killings of civilians in Andijan and to ensure that those responsible for grave human rights violations are held accountable.
“It is especially disturbing that individuals who spent years in exile and returned to Uzbekistan in the hope of rebuilding their lives have reportedly become targets of renewed prosecution,” said Berit Lindeman, Secretary General of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee. “Such practices reinforce fear among former refugees and exiles and risk deepening the long-term trauma associated with the Andijan events.”
The organisations urge the authorities to review politically motivated convictions and to immediately release individuals imprisoned solely for their peaceful involvement in the May 2005 protests in Andijan or in the “Akramiya” movement prior to its official banning. In line with Uzbekistan’s international human rights obligations, peaceful civic engagement, even when addressing politically sensitive issues, should never be treated as a criminal offence.
In addition, the authorities should guarantee fair trial rights and protection from torture and ill-treatment for all those imprisoned on charges connected to the Andijan events. They should cease the intimidation and harassment of survivors, witnesses, relatives, journalists, and human rights defenders associated with the Andijan events.
The organisations further call on the international community, including the European Union, to continue pressing for truth, justice, and accountability for the Andijan massacre, as well as for the more recent killings linked to the violent suppression of the July 2022 “Nukus protests” in Karakalpakstan.
