Press Conference 17/05/2005

As you have been informed already on May 12-13, 2005 a number of terrorist attacks and assaults were committed that had led to the number of casualties in Andijan province of Uzbekistan.

President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov during press-conference on 14 May provided detailed information on these events.

On 13 May 205 the Prosecutor General’s Office opened criminal proceedings on the charges of terrorism, encroachment on the constitutional system, murder, disturbances, hostage taking, illegal weapons capture and some others.

The investigators group is created consisting of the members of Prosecutor General’s Office, National Security Service and Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Then Prosecutor General has given details of the May 12-13 events in Andijan.

According to Mr.R.Kadyrov the events developed in the following way. At the night of 13 May at 00:20 hrs the group of armed rebels committed an attack on Andijan police patrol service’s building killing 4 policemen and wounding 4 others.

The attackers seized 264 pieces of firearms, 40 grenades and over 8 thousand cartridges. Then they attacked the military brigade stationed in Andijan, killing two servicemen, wounding nine and taking one servicemen hostage, whom they murdered later as well. The attackers seized 53 submachine guns, four rifles, over 2 thousand cartridges and a ZIL-130 truck.

They also shot dead two civilians, who were passing by the military unit in a car.

The attackers rammed the doors of the Andijan detention center at about 1:00 a.m. local time. They killed three guards and heavily injured five others.

To the moment of armed attack in prison, there were 734 people under investigation and imprisoned and 526 of them were freed. Terrorists, threatening with punishment, called freed people to participate in arm attacks, distributing them arms.

Extremists, fill up their row with prisoners, at around 2-3 a.m. went to the downtown, and on their way shooting disorderly in order to terror peaceful population, commit assaultive acts against citizens and took them as hostages. Overall number of hostages came to 50 people.

Criminal’s number of whom became 200 came close to buildings of regional Interior Department and National Security Service and started shouting them and tried to seize them but after shouting in return they retreated. Terrorist also fired also other administrative buildings.

Around 6 a.m. main group seized not protected building of Khokimiyat (Office of head) of the region into which all hostages were forced in. All accesses to the building were blocked by vehicles seized during attacks and burned.

Being inside of the building, bandits began to phone all their relatives, closers and call them to the building of region administration. Another group of criminals at arms point and threatening with punishment began gather some people closes makhalla (communities) to the building of Khokimiyat.

Thus, number of people gathered in front Khokimiyat building reached 300-400. These innocent people were used by terrorists as live shield.

In order to avoid victims from peaceful population it was taken by the President of Uzbekistan, who was in spot, the categorical decision to solve the situation only through negotiations.

During negotiations criminals requested to release all imprisoned criminals – members of one of branches of religious-extremist organization “Hizb ut-Tahrir, so called “Akromiya”.

Negotiations with terrorist that last around 12 hours, and involvement in this process of relatives, friends and representatives of community did not give positive outcomes.

After this it was started to dense surrounding of the Khokimiyat building.

Realizing lack of prospect fulfillment of their requirements and despair of own position, terrorist divided to three groups and sheltered with peaceful population including children and women as well as seized hostages started to leave building in three directions out of city.

Pursuit of them was organized.

Taken measures, accurate and well coordinated work of law enforcement bodies allowed neutralize overwhelming majority of terrorists.

Unfortunately, being inside of the administration building and during the falling back from it, some of hostages, innocent people were killed by terrorists.

This is reliable information on terrorist acts occurred in Andijan.

Regarding covering of events by media

It is anger that in some media makes biased interpretation of facts and gives its preconceived evaluation.

There is absolutely absurdity information on that “peaceful demonstrators” were shoot down by governmental forces and some media want imagine events in Andijan as shoot of peaceful population and point invented figures about 500 perished peaceful people.

I would like to apply to all who makes such far-fetched statements. Tell me, could you point concrete anybody – women’s, old man and kids executed by government?

Is it possible to point armed attacks to military objectives, capture of large number of fire-arms as “peaceful demonstration”?

Who can say that the assault of the prison and release of nearly 600 inmates including extremely dangerous criminals as well as seizing civilians as hostages is a “peaceful intentions”?, asked the Prosecutor.

This is not a full list of crimes committed during 2-3 days by the terrorists in Andijan, said Prosecutor General. He categorically stated that there is no question of this being a peaceful demonstration. It was a real terrorist acts, armed attacks of bandits. In Andijan no single citizen was killed by government forces.

The talk of 500 dead of civilians is a conjecture and deliberate disinformation of the world community. Our opponents are acting on the basis of the principle “as much more impertinent is lies, it more looks like real”.

Therefore I would like to stress without any comments that on 13 May at 12:00 hrs three foreigners has been stopped at one of the block-posts in Andijan on they way to the city. When asked about the purposes of they visit to Andijan they did not provided any clear answer and therefore they were not allowed to pass into the city.

The special group from my Office and myself investigated the events on the spot and only today I came back from Andijan to Tashkent.

I would like to provide you with next reliable materials and information.

169 people died in result of these terrorist acts, including 32 representatives of government forces. Unfortunately, there are victims among the hostages, killed by terrorists, including three women and two children.

I declare categorically that only bandits were liquidated by government forces during the operation.

At the examination of the place of accident it was established that practically all annihilated criminals carried weapons. There were always guns beside dead bodies.

The personalities of those died are being identified.

81 criminals were detained. There are more than 50 foreigners have been identified among those who were detained and those killed.

Five citizens of Kyrgyzstan were detained, and also dead bodies of two Kyrgyz citizens who took part in these terrorist acts, have been found.

Today we possess with extensive information, but in the interest of investigation I would not state all scenario of the crimes, what is composition of the criminal group, who are staying behind them, who was leading and organizing these heinous crimes.

This is a subject of proper investigation, the more so, that there are a lot of versions on this cause in media.

I do think that all these issues would be possible to state after comprehensive investigation.

For given moment I declare shortly the following:

First. All scenario has been prepared very carefully, all actions were synchronized and coordinated.

Second. All actions of attackers were thoroughly planned with definition of the role of each of them, who and when had to seize the building of the National Security Service, Khokimiyat (regional administration) and other establishments, who had to assault, organize snipers on the roofs of the buildings and who had to capture the hostages and so on.

The investigation disposes the reliable information that the weapons for bandits were smuggled into Uzbekistan from abroad in advance. The attackers were armed by foreign-made submachine guns, pistols and sniper rifles with hidden numbers. The intensive work on establishing origin of the armaments is underway. We will carry this case through, and will prove - by whom and from where these weapons were smugled.

The investigation group of General Prosecutor Office comprises from the experienced investigators, who are working out the wide spectrum of issues, connected with occurred events, and no single aspect would be abandoned without attention.

The complex of operational-investigation measures is carrying out on establishing and detaining the participants of the terrorist actions, identification of the bodies those died, withdrawal of firearms and ammunitions, defining of the scales of the caused damage.

There were initiated more than 400 expertises, interrogated more than 1500 persons.

During the armed attack seized in total 305 units of weapons, including 205 submachine guns and 100 pistols, 231 grenades and other armaments.

More than half of seized weapons by criminals were returned, including 128 submachine guns and 24 pistols. Only for yesterday evening were seized from criminals 7 submachine guns and 20 pistols “Makarov”.

There are 309 freed inmates returned voluntarily to the prison for further serve one’s sentence and 14 more were apprehended by taken measures. The search for others continues.

Now situation in Andijan region became stable, life of population entered to previous rhythm.

The Government and law enforcement structures of Uzbekistan are taking the complex measures directed to the liquidation of consequences of assassinated terrorist actions.

Once again returning to statements about peaceful character of demonstrations I would like to say that there were not gathered people except the armed terrorists and their relatives, which were as cover for them and curious and other people who matched by terrorists under threat of weapons.

All other statements are figments.

Who are inventing it? They are those, who want to see that what their like.

Finally, I would like to declare again categorically, that all statements about that it was “peaceful demonstration” that fired by governmental forces are blasphemy and mockery of any common sense.

In fact it was impudent terrorist acts.

Appeals of terrorists to join them were not absolutely supported by the people.

This briefing is beginning of our intercourse with you on coverage of investigation of terrorist acts, committed in Andijan.

We will further inform you about the process of investigation.

Thank you for your attention.