How do the Kyrgyz differ from the Uzbeks? History of interethnic relations in Kyrgyzstan. Reference. How relations between the Kyrgyz and Uzbeks changed after the conflict
Osh-aimagy, "Osh region"). The main task of “Adolat” was the preservation and development of the culture, language, and traditions of the Uzbek people. Goals and objectives of “Osh-aimagy” - implementation constitutional rights people and providing people with land for housing construction - united mainly Kyrgyz youth.In May 1990, poor young Kyrgyz people demanded that they be provided with plots for housing construction on the land of the collective farm named after. Lenin near the city of Osh. The authorities agreed to satisfy this demand. Starting from May 30, on the received field of the collective farm, the Kyrgyz held rallies demanding the removal from the post of the first deputy chairman of the Supreme Council of the Kyrgyz SSR, former first the secretary of the regional party committee, who, in their opinion, did not solve the problems of registration, employment and housing of Kyrgyz youth and contributed to the fact that mainly Uzbeks worked in the trade and service sector in Osh.
The Uzbeks perceived the allocation of land to the Kyrgyz extremely negatively. They also held rallies and adopted an appeal to the leadership of Kyrgyzstan and the region with demands to create Uzbek autonomy in the Osh region, give the Uzbek language the status of one of the state languages, and create an Uzbek Cultural Center, open an Uzbek faculty at Osh pedagogical institute and remove from his post the first secretary of the regional committee, who supposedly protects the interests of only the Kyrgyz population. They demanded a response by June 4.
On June 1, the Uzbeks who rented housing to the Kyrgyz began to evict them, as a result of which more than 1,500 Kyrgyz tenants also began to demand the allocation of land plots for development. The Kyrgyz also demanded that the authorities give them a final answer on the provision of land by June 4.
However, the republican commission headed by the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Kirghiz SSR A. Dzhumagulov recognized the allocation of land for development of the collective farm named after. Lenin is illegal and it was decided to allocate others for housing construction land. The majority of the Kyrgyz, who need land for development, and the Uzbeks agreed with this decision, but about 200 representatives of Osh-Aimagy continued to insist on providing them with the land of the collective farm named after. Lenin.
Conflict
On June 4, the Kyrgyz and Uzbeks met on the field of the collective farm named after. Lenin. About 1.5 thousand Kyrgyz came, more than 10 thousand Uzbeks. They were separated by police armed with machine guns.
As reported [ ], Uzbek youth tried to break through the police cordon and attack the Kyrgyz, they began to throw stones and bottles at the police, two policemen were captured. The police opened fire and, according to some sources, 6 Uzbeks were killed (according to other information, wounded). After this, the Uzbek crowd, led by leaders, shouted “Blood for blood!” headed to Osh, smashing Kyrgyz houses. From June 4 to June 6, the number of Uzbek pogromists increased to 20 thousand due to those arriving from districts, villages and Andijan (Uzbek SSR). About 30-40 Uzbeks tried to seize the buildings of the Osh City Police Department, pre-trial detention center-5, and the Department of Internal Affairs of the Osh Regional Executive Committee, but they failed and the police detained about 35 active pogromists.
On the night of June 6–7 in Osh, the police department building and a police detachment were shelled, two police officers were wounded. On the border with the Andijan region of the Uzbek SSR, a crowd of thousands of Uzbeks appeared, arriving to help the Osh Uzbeks.
On the morning of June 7, attacks occurred on pumping station and the city motor depot, interruptions began in the supply of food and drinking water to the population.
Kyrgyz-Uzbek clashes occurred in other populated areas Osh region. In the Fergana, Andijan and Namangan regions of the Uzbek SSR, beatings of the Kyrgyz and burning of their houses began, which caused the flight of the Kyrgyz from the territory of Uzbekistan.
The massacre was stopped only in the evening of June 6, by bringing army units into the region. At the cost of enormous efforts, the army and police managed to avoid the involvement of the population of Uzbekistan in the conflict on the territory of the Kyrgyz SSR. The march of armed Uzbeks from the cities of Namangan and Andijan to Osh was stopped several tens of kilometers from the city. The crowd overturned police cordons and burned cars; cases of clashes with army units. Then the main political and religious figures Uzbek SSR, which helped to avoid further casualties.
Victims
According to the investigative team of the USSR Prosecutor's Office, about 1,200 people died in the conflict on the Kyrgyz side in the cities of Uzgen and Osh, as well as in the villages of the Osh region, and on the Uzbek side, investigators found about 10 thousand episodes of crimes. 1,500 criminal cases were sent to the courts. About 30-35 thousand people took part in the conflict, about 300 people were brought to criminal responsibility. After Kyrgyzstan gained independence, they were all released.
In popular culture
The Osh events of 1990 are mentioned in the series “National Security Agent” (Season 2, film “The Man Without a Face”). According to the plot, the hero of Konstantin Khabensky, KGB officer of the USSR Hussein Sabbakh, was infiltrated into a nationalist group that carried out a bloody massacre in Osh. To confirm the legend, Sabbah was forced to take an active part in the riots and prove his loyalty to the group with the blood of civilians.
see also
Notes
Links
- Kommersant: Osh massacre of 1990
- Evolution in Europe; SOVIETS INTERVENE IN ETHNIC VIOLENCE - NYTimes.com (English)
- Soviets Report New Clashes In Central Asian City of Osh - NYTimes.com (English)
- Charles Recknagel. Ferghana Valley: A Tinderbox For Violence(English) . Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (June 17, 2010). Retrieved February 6, 2017.
- Kaplan, Robert D. The Ends of the Earth: From Togo to Turkmenistan, from Iran to Cambodia – a Journey to the Frontiers of Anarchy. - Vintage Books, 1997. - ISBN 978-0-679-75123-6.
- Luong, Pauline Jones. The Transformation of Central Asia: States and Societies from Soviet Rule to Independence. - Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2004. - P. 154–46. - ISBN 978-0-8014-4151-6.
- Alexander Shustov. Interethnic conflicts in Central Asia (I) (undefined) (February 2, 2008). Retrieved October 25, 2008. Archived September 15, 2008.
- Aksana Ismailbekova. A glimmer of hope in bloodstained Kyrgyzstan (undefined) . Fergana.news (10.08.2010). Retrieved February 6, 2017.
- Lubin, Nancy. Calming the Ferghana Valley: Development and Dialogue in the Heart of Central Asia / Nancy Lubin, Martin, Rubin. - New York, NY: The Century Foundation Press, 1999. - ISBN 978-0-87078-414-9.
- Tishkov, Valery (May 1995). “"Don"t Kill Me, I"m a Kyrgyz!": An Anthropological Analysis of Violence in the Osh Ethnic Conflict." Journal of Peace Research. 32 (2): 133-149. DOI:10.1177/0022343395032002002.
- Razakov's talent. Osh events: Based on KGB materials. - Bishkek: Renaissance, 1993. - ISBN 5-85580-001-6.
- A. A. Asankanov, Kyrgyz Tarykh: Encyclopedia, Bishkek, 2003. ISBN 5-89750-150-5.
| Background | ||
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| Parade of sovereignties |
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On the night of June 10-11, in the Kyrgyz city of Osh, where a significant number of ethnic Uzbeks live, mass brawl youth, which escalated into riots in different parts cities.
Most republics Central Asia have territorial disputes with their neighbors, most of which have not yet been resolved. The ethnic diversity and lack of generally recognized borders is aggravated by the shortage of land and water resources, giving periodically occurring conflicts a pronounced socio-economic overtones.
The largest number of territorial disputes occurs between Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. These countries, in addition to common borders and agricultural overpopulation, are united by belonging to Fergana Valley, where the Osh region of Kyrgyzstan, the Sughd region of Tajikistan, as well as the Fergana, Namangan and Andijan regions of Uzbekistan are located. Even in comparison with disadvantaged areas of Central Asia, the Fergana Valley stands out for its high overpopulation, the level of Islamization of the population and a large number unresolved socio-economic problems.
The discrepancy between ethnic and state borders, which originates in the national-state demarcation of 1924-1925, has led to the fact that large communities of other titular ethnic groups of the region live in all the republics of Central Asia. The presence of large ethnic communities living on the border with their “titular” state is a powerful conflict-generating factor.
There are two large Uzbek enclaves in Kyrgyzstan - Sokh and Shakhimardan, where between 40 and 50 thousand people live. In Uzbekistan there is a Kyrgyz enclave, the village of Barak, with a population of about 600 people. Being cut off from the main territory of the republic, residents of these settlements experience acute problems with crossing the state border, functioning of the economy, social sphere and life support systems.
A major interethnic conflict between the Kyrgyz and Uzbeks occurred in the late 1980s, called the Osh conflict.
The conflict was based on clearly defined socio-economic reasons. Migration of Kyrgyz to cities from rural areas happened more intensely. By the end of the 1980s. In the cities of the Kirghiz SSR there already lived a significant mass of rural migrants, most of whom did not have their own housing, a specialty in demand in urban conditions, and often no permanent job.
During 1989. Several associations of developers emerged in Kyrgyzstan, claiming land around Bishkek and other major cities. In Osh, such an association was the Osh-Aimagy society, whose members on May 7, 1990 demanded that they be given land from the suburban collective farm named after. Lenin, among whose workers Uzbeks predominated. In response, the Uzbeks put forward demands for the creation of autonomy and giving the Uzbek language the status of the state language.
On June 4, Uzbeks and Kyrgyz gathered on the disputed field, and the police opened fire to disperse them. After this, mass pogroms, arson and murder of Uzbeks began in Osh. Unrest swept through the city of Uzgen and rural areas, where the majority of the population was Kyrgyz. On June 6, 1990, units were introduced into unrest-ridden settlements Soviet army who managed to take control of the situation.
According to the investigative team of the USSR Prosecutor's Office, about 300 people died in the conflict. According to unofficial data - several times more.
Kyrgyzstan is also home to the Tajik enclave of Vorukh, which administratively belongs to the Isfara district of the Sughd region of Tajikistan. On an area of about 130 thousand square meters. km live more than 20 thousand people, 95% of whom are Tajiks, and 5% are Kyrgyz.
Since the 1980s The territory of the Batken region of Kyrgyzstan is the scene of a long-term conflict between the Kyrgyz and Tajiks of the neighboring Isfara region of Tajikistan, which is based on a dispute over land and water resources. Clashes between Tajiks and Kyrgyz were recorded in the villages of Vorukh-Tangi in 1982 and Matcha-Aktatyr in 1988.
In 1989 contradictions grew into interethnic conflict, unsuccessful attempts settlements of which were undertaken throughout the next year. In the spring of 1991, clashes resumed, and the Tajiks demanded that 10 thousand hectares of Kyrgyz land be transferred to them for permanent use. Thus, the conflict, during which the presidents of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan made mutual accusations, moved to the interstate level. The reasons that gave rise to it continue to operate to this day. In 1998, clashes occurred again on the territory of the Batken region over the distribution of water, after which joint squads were created to control its distribution.
The border problems of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan sharply worsened as a result of the Batken events. In 1999-2000 armed formations of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) twice carried out raids from the territory of Northern Tajikistan into Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, which were hardly repulsed by army units, and during last fights In 2000, an immediate threat arose to Tashkent. Fearing a second breakthrough by IMU militants, Tashkent began unilateral mining of the borders with Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, which resulted in numerous casualties among the civilian population. The dissatisfaction of the Kyrgyz side was caused by the deployment of the armed forces of Uzbekistan in the enclaves of Sokh and Shakhimardan, which, according to Bishkek, contradicted international norms.
Spring 2009. Interethnic clashes in Kyrgyzstan occurred in the north of the republic, which is traditionally considered calmer than the south with its large Uzbek population. The place of unrest was the village of Petrovka, Moskovsky district, Chui region, where, along with Bishkek, he lives most of Slavic population of the republic. About 1/3 of the Russians living in Kyrgyzstan are concentrated in the Chui region, and another 1/3 in Bishkek.
Among the residents of Petrovka there are three main ethnic groups - Kyrgyz, Russians and Kurds. In the territory Central Asia Kurds appeared in Soviet period. In 1937-1938 they were deported here from Azerbaijan, and in 1944 from Georgia. Differences in mentality, culture and lifestyle have more than once provoked tension between the local and Caucasian populations.
At the beginning of April 2009, a 22-year-old Kurd living in Petrovka was accused of attempting to rape a 4-year-old Russian girl. Local authorities managed to temporarily quell the conflict with promises of a fair trial. However, the residents of Petrovka never received a trial. The conflict entered an active phase when the girl’s grandmother hanged herself, unable to bear the fact that the prosecutor’s office denied that a crime had been committed.
On April 26, Kyrgyz, Russians and Karachais began to destroy the houses and cars of the Kurds. The riots were stopped after police forces were brought into Petrovka, internal troops and SOBR of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
On April 27, two gatherings of elders took place in the village, in one of which only Kyrgyz elders participated, and in the other - Kurds. The first meeting put forward an ultimatum to the akim (head) of the district, Kubanychbek Syidanov, demanding the eviction of all 110 Kurdish families living in the village, who in turn asked the authorities to be objective and not allow all the Kurds to suffer because of one person.
On April 27, a mass exodus of Kurds from Petrovka began, most of whom left the village by the evening.
During the liquidation of the unrest, 84 people were detained and taken to the reception center in Bishkek, including 11 minors who were later handed over to their parents. Several people were stabbed and two received gunshot wounds during the clashes.
At first April 2010. In the wake of mass protests, a provisional government led by Roza Otunbayeva came to power in Kyrgyzstan.
May 19 at regional center In the Kyrgyz city of Jalal-Abad, interethnic clashes occurred between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks, provoked by supporters of the former government of the republic. According to the Kyrgyz Ministry of Health, two people died as a result of the clashes, and 71 people sought medical help.
Late in the evening in Osh, where many Uzbeks live along with the Kyrgyz, there was a big fight between youth groups, which escalated into mass riots. A large crowd gathered in the center of Osh, near the Alai Hotel. Rioters burned cars and destroyed stores. The authorities introduced a state of emergency in the cities of Osh and Uzgen, as well as the Karasu, Aravan and Uzgen regions of the republic. Troops have been sent to Osh.
According to a representative of the press center of the Ministry of Health of the Republic, the number of deaths as a result of clashes between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in the Osh region of Kyrgyzstan has reached 12 people (data as of June 11). 126 wounded people went to hospitals in the Osh region. 94 people were hospitalized, 10 people are in serious condition. Most of the wounded - about 40 people - went to the hospital in the village of Kyzyl-Kishlak, Karasu district, Osh region.
Conflicts in Kyrgyzstan are caused by the following factors: unsettled relations with neighboring states, ethnic problems, the North-South split, the lack of a long tradition of peaceful and constructive interaction between the authorities and the opposition, and the threats of radical Islamism.
In Kyrgyzstan, there are still interethnic contradictions caused by reasons dating back to the 19th and 20th centuries. The Uzbek minority lives compactly in the country (in the Osh region). Clashes between Uzbeks and Kyrgyz in the city of Osh and the city of Uzgen in the summer of 1990 led, according to official data, to the death of 300 people (according to unofficial data, several times more). It is believed that protests against the falsification of the 2005 elections began in the south of the country, including the Osh region, and ultimately led to the “Tulip Revolution.” Representatives of the Uzbek minority and international observers indicate that Uzbeks in Kyrgyzstan continue to face unofficial discrimination. An additional factor aggravating the situation is the spread of Islamist sentiments in the south of the country and the underground activities of such radical organizations as Hizb ut-Tahrir, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (since 2001 also known as the Islamic Party of Turkestan),
Until 1991, 21.5% of Russians lived in Kyrgyzstan. Since the declaration of independence, their numbers have approximately halved, which, according to some experts, is the result different forms discrimination. It is unsystematic and unofficial. On the contrary, the country's authorities actively took measures to counter the outflow of Russians, for example, giving the Russian language the status of an official one, opening up access to government positions for representatives of the Russian minority, without interfering with the legal forms of its self-organization, and the like.
In the early 1990s, among representatives of the Uyghur minority in Kyrgyzstan, the idea of secession and the creation of an independent Uyghur state, which should include part of the territory of China where Uyghurs live compactly, was popular. Currently, the problem of Uighur secessionism is not relevant, but illegal terrorist organizations can operate on the basis of this minority.
The split along the North-South line is due to the fact that in the north of Kyrgyzstan there is a higher level of urbanization, a higher concentration of political and financial influence, this area is more secularized, while the south of the country is a densely populated ethnically heterogeneous area, where the religious factor has a more significant impact.
During the second presidency of A. Akaev, the conflict between the authorities and the opposition became obvious, which grew until the events of the “Tulip Revolution” in March 2005. From time to time the authorities used force against opponents. Thus, on March 16-18, 2002, clashes occurred between the population and law enforcement agencies in the Aksy district of the Jalal-Abad region. The population came out in defense of the convicted member of parliament A. Beknazarov, and also demanded that the ratification of the 1999 agreement on the Kyrgyz-Chinese state border. The opposition organized numerous protests in some parts of the country and in Bishkek. In clashes with the police, five residents of the Aksy region were killed and several dozen were injured. This conflict led to the resignation of Prime Minister K. Bakiyev and the government.
In March 2005, reports of fraud in the next parliamentary elections caused discontent among residents of the most problematic areas in economically Jalal-Abad and Osh regions in the south of the country. Under the banners of various opposition parties and associations, for example, the youth organizations “KelKel” and “Birge”, rallies of many thousands gathered, which turned into violent actions: demonstrators seized administrative buildings, clashes took place with police and riot police units. The unrest spread to Bishkek. As a result, President Akaev left the country on March 24, and the opposition led by K. Bakiev came to power. Unlike the “velvet revolutions” in Ukraine and Georgia, in Kyrgyzstan, protesters looted and destroyed shops and offices, government agencies. For several days, anarchy reigned in Bishkek - the police and troops did not even try to take control of the situation. Relative order was restored only on March 26. According to some observers, under the guise of a “people's revolution” there was a struggle for power between representatives of the southern and northern clans. The Kyrgyz opposition, which initiated the “Tulip Revolution,” was not a single bloc with a clear political platform, but a collection of former party leaders and government officials dissatisfied with the policies of President Akaev. The defeat in the parliamentary elections, caused, among other things, by violations of the law and the use of “power resources,” increased their discontent and pushed them to decisive unconstitutional actions.
Currently, relations between the authorities and the opposition are more peaceful, although in 2006 the opposition organized demonstrations of thousands demanding the resignation of President Bakiev. Maintaining the achieved relative political stability depends on the government's ability to effectively decide economic problems and fight crime and corruption.
According to international statistics, the Gini coefficient, reflecting inequality in income and consumption, in Kyrgyzstan in 2003 was 30.3 points, which indicates that there is no large gap between rich and poor in the country. However, the share of the latter in the total population was about 40% (2003).
Plan
Introduction
1 Background of events
2 Conflict
3 Victims
Bibliography
Introduction
Osh massacre (1990) - an interethnic conflict on the territory of the Kyrgyz SSR between the Kyrgyz and Uzbeks.
1. Background of events
In Osh, located in the Fergana Valley, in close proximity to the border with the Uzbek SSR, in which a significant number of Uzbeks lived, they began to intensify their activities in the early spring of 1990 informal associations“Adolat” and a little later “Osh-aimagy” (Kyrgyzstan Osh-aimagy, Russian. Osh district). The main task of “Adolat” was the preservation and development of the culture, language, and traditions of the Uzbek people. The goals and objectives of “Osh Aimagy” - the implementation of constitutional human rights and the provision of people with land plots for housing construction - united mainly young people of Kyrgyz nationality.
In May 1990, poor young Kyrgyz people demanded that they be given the land of the collective farm. Lenin near the city of Osh. The authorities agreed to satisfy this demand. Starting from May 30, on the received field of the collective farm, the Kyrgyz held rallies demanding the removal of the first deputy chairman from his position Supreme Council Kyrgyz SSR, former first secretary of the regional party committee, who, in their opinion, did not solve the problems of registration, employment and housing of Kyrgyz youth and contributed to the fact that mainly people worked in the trade and service sector in Osh Uzbek nationality.
The Uzbeks perceived the allocation of land to the Kyrgyz extremely negatively. They also held rallies and adopted an appeal to the leadership of Kyrgyzstan and the region with demands to create Uzbek autonomy in the Osh region, give the Uzbek language the status of one of the state languages, create an Uzbek cultural center, open an Uzbek faculty at the Osh Pedagogical Institute and remove from the post of the first secretary of the regional committee, who allegedly protects the interests of only the Kyrgyz population. They demanded a response by June 4.
On June 1, the Uzbeks who rented housing to the Kyrgyz began to evict them, as a result of which more than 1,500 Kyrgyz tenants also began to demand the allocation of land plots for development. The Kyrgyz also demanded that the authorities give them a final answer on the provision of land by June 4.
However, the republican commission headed by the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Kirghiz SSR A. Dzhumagulov recognized the allocation of land for development of the collective farm named after. Lenin is illegal and it was decided to allocate other land plots for housing construction. The majority of Uzbeks and Kyrgyz in need of land for development agreed with this decision, but about 200 representatives of Osh-Aimagy continued to insist on providing them with the land of the collective farm named after. Lenin.
2. Conflict
On June 4, the Kyrgyz and Uzbeks met on the field of the collective farm named after. Lenin. About 1.5 thousand Kyrgyz came, more than 10 thousand Uzbeks. They were separated by police armed with machine guns.
Reportedly, Uzbek youth tried to break through the police cordon and attack the Kyrgyz, they began throwing stones and bottles at the police, and two policemen were captured. The police opened fire and, according to some sources, 6 Uzbeks were killed (according to other information, wounded). After this, the Uzbek crowd led by the leaders of the Uzbek association “Adolat” shouted “Blood for blood!” headed to Osh, smashing Kyrgyz houses. The Kyrgyz also responded with pogroms. About 30-40 Uzbeks tried to seize the buildings of the Osh City Police Department, pre-trial detention center-5, and the Department of Internal Affairs of the Osh Regional Executive Committee, but they failed and the police detained about 35 active pogromists.
On the morning of June 7, attacks occurred on the pumping station and the city motor depot, and interruptions in the supply of food and drinking water to the population began.
Kyrgyz-Uzbek clashes also occurred in other settlements of the Osh region. In the Fergana, Andijan and Namangan regions of the Uzbek SSR, beatings of the Kyrgyz and burning of their houses began, which caused the flight of the Kyrgyz from the territory of Uzbekistan.
The massacre was stopped only in the evening of June 6, by bringing army units into the region. At the cost of enormous efforts, the army and police managed to avoid the involvement of the population of Uzbekistan in the conflict on the territory of the Kyrgyz SSR. The march of armed Uzbeks from the cities of Namangan and Andijan to Osh was stopped several tens of kilometers from the city. The crowd overturned police cordons and burned cars, and cases of clashes with army units were recorded. Then the main political and religious figures of the Uzbek SSR spoke to the Uzbeks rushing to Kyrgyzstan, which helped to avoid further casualties.
According to the investigative team of the USSR Prosecutor's Office, about 1,200 people died in the conflict on the Kyrgyz side in the cities of Uzgen and Osh, as well as in the villages of the Osh region, and according to unofficial data - 10 thousand. Investigators found about 10 thousand episodes of crimes. 1,500 criminal cases were sent to the courts. About 30-35 thousand people took part in the conflict, about 300 people were brought to criminal responsibility.
Bibliography:
1. The clash between the Kyrgyz and Uzbeks coincided with the 20th anniversary of the Ferghana events
Bloody unrest in southern Kyrgyzstan has strained relations between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in both Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Both sides need help, observers from the region say.
The armed conflict that took place in the south of Kyrgyzstan in mid-June significantly increased tension between the Kyrgyz and Uzbeks, experts interviewed by Deutsche Welle admit.
Khatimdzhan Yakubov, a specialist in civil cases at a law firm in Osh, talks about facts of violation of the rights of Uzbeks by law enforcement. He tells a case from his practice when an Uzbek named Aziz was stopped by traffic police and, insulting the detainee, demanded that he leave Kyrgyzstan. Aziz, according to Yakubov, actually left the country soon. “There is another person under investigation,” says the lawyer. “Not only was he beaten and mutilated by law enforcement officers, in prison he was told that if he did not pay a certain amount, then he would not be released tomorrow and was unlikely to live until next month."
In Osh, according to Yakubov, most of the population is still afraid to go out. “In Jalal-Abad, they say it’s already a little more stable. But here about 2-3 percent of the population is walking, the rest are sitting at home, they will have a crisis tomorrow, they will run out of money, they don’t know what to do next.”
Psychological rehabilitation required
In addition to providing humanitarian aid it is vital to carry out psychological work with the local population, says Zhanna Saralaeva, president of the Association “Women Leaders of Jalal-Abad”. Both Kyrgyz and Uzbeks who contacted its crisis center reported animosity toward each other. “I don’t know, maybe next, if everything gets better, I will overcome my hatred and communicate with them, but for now I have no such desire,” Saralaeva recalls the words of one Kyrgyz girl who came from the city of Osh.
The conflict has forced many to leave southern Kyrgyzstan or prepare to do so. According to Zhanna Saralaeva, representatives of the Uzbek population are especially active in leaving. "They are not sure that everything will get better soon, because elections are coming, and they do not trust the authorities who have come in now. And in general, they are worried about their safety."
Lack of integration program
The growth of mutual hostility between the Uzbeks and Kyrgyz is also noted by Ruslan Tashanov, coordinator of the project on preventing ethnic conflicts of the Public Foundation for International Tolerance in Osh. “First of all, the problem is that there are people who have lost their loved ones and who have lost their homes. They definitely have accumulated a lot of negative emotions, so the danger is that they may take extreme measures, that is, revenge. We need to work with these people."
Tashanov, in an interview with Deutsche Welle, said that it is wrong to believe that ethnic minorities are discriminated against in the country. To support his words, he cited a number of figures. "In Kyrgyzstan there were 2 Uzbek universities, 135 schools with Uzbek language training, drama theatre, 3 television channels in the south of Kyrgyzstan, 5 newspapers. Such conditions have not been created for Uzbeks in any other state,” Tashanov noted. “In the law enforcement system, the police make up about 30 percent personnel, at least in the city of Osh there were people of Uzbek nationality." Note that earlier local human rights activists have repeatedly expressed concern over the fact that the Osh police, according to their data, consists predominantly of representatives of Kyrgyz nationality.
Ruslan Tashanov noted that an important factor in the conflict was the lack of a state integration program in Kyrgyzstan. “In those communities where Kyrgyz and Uzbeks lived mixed, there is definitely no conflict. There were those areas where Kyrgyz and Uzbeks jointly patrolled their neighborhood, there are a lot of such areas, even in the city of Osh, I can definitely say that 75 percent of the population did not participate in conflict."
" Moral duty " government
The likelihood of a new escalation of the conflict should not be downplayed, says Farhad Tolipov, an independent political scientist from Tashkent. "Trained to collision local population He will remember this for a long time and will not calm down, realizing that there was a conflict in 90, and 20 years later it all happened again. That is, who guarantees that this will not happen again? - Tolipov noted. “Therefore, the local population will remain anxious for a long time about the possibility of any clashes.”
To prevent a conflict similar to the June clashes in the future, Tolipov proposes convening a meeting at top level between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. "We must come to one general idea, give the same assessments of this event, this is very important with political point vision to show that there is no basis for friction or mutual suspicion between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, that we continue to cooperate,” the political scientist noted. In addition, Tolipov believes that it is necessary to develop a strategic mechanism for monitoring the situation in the region with the involvement of the expert community, scientists and officials of the two countries.
According to Tolipov, an official apology from the country's government for failing to guarantee the lives and rights of its citizens could soften the mood in Kyrgyzstan. "This is simply a moral duty. An international objective investigation is still needed, not subjective opinions. But moral aspect no one ruled it out. Therefore, I believe that the leadership could, after holding mourning, lowering the flags, also apologize. It would even be Muslim."
archive
Context
Human rights activists call the situation in Kyrgyzstan a humanitarian disaster
The number of Uzbek residents trying to leave the conflict zone in southern Kyrgyzstan has reached 80 thousand. 117 people became victims of interethnic clashes, and about 1,500 were injured. Human rights activists speak of a humanitarian catastrophe. (14.06.2010)