Chronology of Events

INFORMATION ON ANDIJAN EVENTS AND THE COURSE OF THE OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION

At the present, investigation and operative group that comprises of representatives of the General Prosecutor’s office, National Security Service and Ministry of Internal Affairs inquires the circumstances of the terrorist attacks in Andijan.

The follows chronology of events was determined:

• 1. On May 12 at 23.45 - armed group of people attacked military unit. As a result 9 military men were wounded, 2 were killed, one of them was preliminarily taken as a hostage.

  2. At the same time the other armed group attacked the Public Order Division of the Andijan Region Interior Department, where they killed 3 police officers, took as a hostage one officer and then killed him as well.

  3. At around 1.00 am terrorists rammed the gates by truck ZIL-130, which was stolen from military unit and occupied the prison. 3 officers were killed, 5 officers were wounded, 527 prisoners were illegally released.

  4. During the attacks on this three sites criminals seized a lot of arms and ammunition.

  5. At about 00.10 a.m. the armed group fired over the buildings of Department of Internal Affairs and Department of National Security Service of the region by trying to seize the sites, but having faced fire in response they retreated.

  6. At 00.35 a.m. another terrorist group attacked the other military unit, but they failed. Two military men were wounded.

  7. Having committed the crimes, and reinforced their groups by prisoners and condemned people, the terrorists seized building of regional administration, which was almost unguarded and killed one police officer.

From the beginning of crimes terrorists took 65 persons as hostages and severely murdered 14 out of them.

At the same time terrorist fired the Ambulance car, which was going to provide medical aid to casualties. As a result the driver Mansurov, medical assistant Ahmedov and doctor Rustamov were died.

Besides, on their way to regional administration building terrorists opened the fire on civilians.

The terrorists blocked the avenues of approach to the building by burned cars, seized during the attacks.

Being inside of building by phone the bandits called their relatives and friends out near the building of administration. Some of the criminals rounded up people from the nearest mahallas (neighborhood) and passer-bys by threatening with guns.

In the result, the number of gathered people reached 300-400. These innocent people were later used as a life-shield.

Negotiations, which lasted till 18.00, didn’t give a positive result. That is why strong surrounding of the building was started. The terrorists opened the fire in response.

Having realized hopelessness of their situation, the terrorists made up a shield from people who gathered on the square and began to leave the building of the administration in three groups. Moreover, government troops gave them opportunity to leave in three directions from city line to the border with Kyrgyzstan.

We are working on 4 main versions of terrorist attacks:

The first version – terrorist attacks were prepared and organized based on scenario of international cenres with future long-running geopolitical purposes of separation of Feghana Valley and establishing of Islamic state.

Various groups as Hizb-ut Takhrir, Akromists, Islamic Movement of Turkistan and other extremist forces were their performers.

The second version – terrorist attacks and mass disorders were organized by the leaders of Akramists movement and their supporters in Kyrgyzstan in tight connection with religious and extremist movements as Hizb-ut Takhrir, Islamic Movement of Turkistan and other radically oriented anti-uzbek forces, in order to change political path of the country and to set up a puppet state that would respond to their interests.

Third version – terrorist attacks were committed in order to destabilize situation in Uzbekistan with the assistance and support of forces striving to undermine Uzbekistan’s prestige and growing authority on the international arena, to suffer great losses to reforms and democratic transformations made in the country, which would at the end of a day take to the overthrowing of legitimate power.

The fourth version – terrorist attacks were committed with purpose to destabilize the situation in the country and Central Asian region as a whole, as well as to create a corridor fro drug-trafficking, arms smuggling and extending the influence of international religious, extremist and terrorist organizations as Taliban, IMT, Al-Kaida and etc.

Analysis of yet collected investigation information indicates that the events are thoroughly organized actions of the international radical forces, which are aiming on forcible change of constitutional order and establishing so called Caliphate.

The investigation has information that the international terrorist organizations such as Islamic Movement of Tukrkistan (previously IMU) with centers in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Hizb-ut Takhrir with London based headquarter and one of its branches so called Akramiya are involved in carrying out the terrorist attacks.

It was determined that on the territory of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan there were 20 mobile armed subgroups comprised of 5-20 religious extremists, united in 6 main groups distributed sites that had to be attacked.

It was proved that prior to the events a part of arms was brought to Andijan from outside.

There are testimonies that the actions of terrorists were coordinated by the leader of IMT Takhir Yuldashev and the founder of the movement Akromiya Akram Yuldashev.

The picquets in front of the Court building where there was a trial of 23 akramists beared the nature of a show. The organizers involved terrorists from Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan who were accommodated in the places of like-minders with the purpose of conspiration.

The literature and religious and extremist leaflets of Hizb-ut Takhrir were withdrawn as a result of searches in these houses.

The fact that image of Akramists, as victims of outrage actions of the government forces was strenuously established by the journalists of overseas agencies and organizations, including those that do not have accreditation in Uzbekistan rises resentment.

Specially affiliated people had organized interviews with the journalist of the overseas Mass Media, which in the chase for “burned facts” willy-nilly have become extenders of deliberately false information about events in Andijan.

In case of failure of the plan to seizure the power, the organizers of terrorist attack considered two ways of retreat for the criminals, their relatives and friends to the territory of Kyrgyzstan – through the city of Karasu and the Teshiktash village of Djalalkuduk distict of Andijan region.

Therefore, terrorists have organized a massive disorders conjugated with arson of administrative buildings.

However, in order to show themselves as innocent peaceful civilians that were expatriate from their native land, the terrorists have chosen the shorter way of retreat via the Teshiktash village into a preliminarily established “refugee” camp that is situated in bordering with Uzbekistan Suzak district of Djalalabad region of Kyrgyzstan.

According existing information, there are 501 people in camp city, 465 of them are citizens of Uzbekistan and 36- citizens of Kyrgyzstan.

Ouf of 465 citizens of Uzbekistan there are 58 people aged from 18 to 25 y.o., 68 people 25-30 y.o., 81 people 35-40 y.o., 31 people 40-50 y.o., 6 people over 60 y.o., as well as 90 women and 28 minors.

Out of 36 citizens of Kyrgyzstan there are 35 people aged from 18 to 35 y.o. and 1 in the age of 50 y.o.

There are 13 people in the camp city that were illegally released by the terrorists from prison. We have sent a petition with request to detain and extradite them to Uzbekistan.

Nowadays, there are 100 citizens of Uzbekistan and 31 Kyrgyz citizens in camp city are identified as immediate participants of terrorist attacks and we have presented them charges by default.

Recently, 30 peaceful citizens of Uzbekistan voluntarily returned to the country.

During the interrogations they explained that terrorists by threatening to use weapons forced them to move over to Kyrgyzstan and by force hold them in pre-established camp, threatening that they will be called to account if they return to native land.

Office of the General-Prosecutor of the Republic of Uzbekistan has sent a petition with request to extradite to Uzbekistan 133 accused people in total that are on the territory of Kyrgyzstan.

The part of criminal case was sent to the office of the General-Prosecutor of Kyrgyzstan for further criminal prosecution of 33 Kyrgyz citizens that took part in terrorist attacks.

Total death toll is 176 people and 79 out of them were terrorists.

I state it with great regret that terrorists had murdered 20 law-enforcement officers, 11 soldiers and 45 civilians.

We are establishing the identity of 21 dead persons and checking their connection with terrorist attack.

Casualty-toll makes 295 people and 62 out of them are terrorists, 47 law-enforcement officers, 35 soldiers and 18 civilians. The connection of other 145 wounded people is being checked.

There are 73 automobiles and more than 20 buildings were burned and damaged. The total amount of caused damaged is more than 3 billion of soums.

The following was achieved, as a result of comprehensive actions taken by the investigation and operative group:

• 223 arms, including 160 submachine guns, 47 pistols, 11 shotguns, 4 machineguns, 1 grenade launcher, as well as 133 grenades and 7000 bullets out of 334 stolen were recovered.

• 491 out of 527 illegally released prisoners were returned, five participants of the terrorist attacks were liquidated, and 31 participants are being searched.

102 people are detained for the connection to terrorist attacks and 50 of them whose hands were not stained in blood are released from custody and different preventive punishments are applied to them.

The life in Andijan has taken its usual course, and the situation is completely under the control.

We are taking proper measures in order to determine organizers and financing sources of the attacks, as well as people concerned in destabilizing the situation in Uzbekistan and undermine its international prestige.

17.06.2005