Andijan events (2005) in Uzbekistan

The Andijan events on May 13, 2005 caused a wide public response not only in Uzbekistan, but throughout the world. Riots and clashes with the power structures of the country have exposed an acute political crisis that has dragged on since the collapse of the Soviet Union. According to various sources, several hundred people died in the course of the conflict. The Andijan events influenced the further development of Uzbekistan's domestic policy.

Prerequisites

The city of Andijan is located in the Fergana Valley. This region for many centuries remained autonomous in ethnic terms. In many ways, this contributed to the geographical features of the valley. Here fertile soil and many plains. Therefore, most of the population is engaged in the agricultural sector. The population is extremely conservative. The principle of community organization and primordial nationalism are very developed. Due to some isolation, the population is practically unaffected by migration processes. Therefore, the kinship institution has been preserved for many centuries. Many residents of the Fergana Valley still adhere to ancient traditions and customs. By the beginning of the twentieth century polygamy was still very common here. Not only the adult, but also the younger generation stands on the principles of fundamental Islam. Increased religiosity made itself felt on the eve of the collapse of the Soviet Union.

In the eighty-ninth year, against the backdrop of a weakening of the central government, extremist religious sects rose to the surface. In addition to Islamism, they propagated radical nationalism. In the city of Namangan, several parties were set up, which began to stir up ethnic strife.

The First Pogroms

In May, eighty-nine, a conflict broke out between Uzbeks and Meskhetian Turks. Uzbeks in the number of several hundred people, armed with armature, began to organize pogroms. They captured houses and brutally beat up local Turks. For two days the nature of the riots became quite organized. In all the settlements of the valley in which the Turks lived, thousands of Uzbeks began to arrive on motor transport. Then they seized the area, village or village, and destroyed it. During the pogroms, the radicals managed to seize several police departments and get to the arms. To curb the riots, the internal troops of the Uzbek SSR and the aviation of the RSFSR had to be involved. Virtually all Turks were evacuated. These pogroms clearly showed the region's problems. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the authorities decided to simply close their eyes to these problems, which is what caused the Andijan events.

The beginning of conflict

In 2004, the Uzbek authorities decided to start a fight against the Islamization of the population. Religious sects were more like criminal groups. Rich members of one group usually organized a common business. At the same time, they did not hesitate in the methods of eliminating competitors. And when the bans of radical sects began in Uzbekistan, some people in power decided to use this situation to redistribute business in the country. In the spring, several prominent businessmen of the Fergana Valley were arrested. Among them was the chief justice of Andijan region (region).

The arrested were accused of involvement in one of the religious sects. Due to the influence of the accused, the trial was postponed to 2005. Andijan events began in the winter. Businessmen enjoyed popular support. Some of the profits they spent on charity, their enterprises had a lot of jobs. In addition to high wages, they also gave the workers the opportunity to be treated for free and eat in canteens. Therefore, all the hearings on this case were accompanied by protests and pickets.

The beginning of unrest

Supporters of businessmen began to gather near the court building on May 12. Initially, the rally was peaceful. People shouted slogans and held posters. However, the police arrived to the place began to detain the protesters. After that, the activists decided that they would not wait for justice from the authorities and decided to release the prisoners by force. Andijan events in Uzbekistan began to be shown in Kyrgyzstan and other neighboring countries. Closer to the night, protesters clashed with law enforcement agencies. While the police fought the protesters, a group of one hundred people captured the military unit killed five soldiers. In the military unit, they managed to capture more than a hundred machine guns and grenades. At one o'clock in the morning armed and hastily formed groups attacked the prison. With the help of a truck they broke through the gate and burst into the building. Even then, a shooting started. Several guards and protesters were killed.

Capturing the prison

From prison, the rebels liberated more than five hundred people. Closer to the morning the crowd decided to seize the administration of the region. On the route there was a building of the security service of Uzbekistan. A separate combat group went to his assault. A fierce battle began. The insurgents managed to suppress the resistance of the siloviki. Thanks to this, they seized even more weapons and the crowd moved to the courthouse. Almost immediately it was taken by storm. The policemen who were there were taken prisoner. Before the building itself, a people's rally began.

Government response

The Andijan events of 2005 caught the government of the country by surprise. In just one night, the protests turned into a real uprising. Thousands of people gathered in the square. They called their relatives and friends. Soon the whole city and its surroundings became aware of the rally. By the middle of the day, the number of people has doubled. Initially, the purpose of the rally was the people's desire to express their dissatisfaction with the unfair trial of businessmen. However, soon began to be heard exclamations about discontent with the authorities. I remembered unemployment, lack of social protection and much more. According to many experts, it is precisely because of the political and economic crisis that the Andijan events took place in the country. "Allah Akbar shouted," is still unclear. The authorities claimed this to discredit the rebels. Later, the head of state said that the assembled demanded the establishment of the Caliphate. However, many eyewitnesses claim that the insurrection had nothing to do with religion.

Escalation of the conflict

The revolt continued to spread. The rebels seized many hostages. In the neighboring administrative buildings were the attorney general, soldiers, members of the National Security Service. The president arrived in Viloyat. He headed the established headquarters to normalize the situation. The government understood that there were too many rebels, they are armed and they have hostages. Therefore, entered into negotiations. Initially, they did not give a result. The negotiator from the headquarters demanded the release of all detained persons in exchange for free passage of the rebels to the territory of Kyrgyzstan.

The beginning of the battles

The rebels demanded the release of their supporters. Closer to the night, they demanded that prisoners be released not only from Andijan prisons, but also from places of incarceration in other areas. The authorities rejected these conditions. Early in the morning, military equipment arrived at the square. Events in Andijan have sharply escalated, and an escalation has begun. The military opened fire on the protesters. An exchange of fire broke out. Many administrative buildings burned. The fighting was on several streets. Closer to the evening, government troops went to storm the square. Two columns of armored vehicles were used for this purpose. As a result of the assault, many people died. The rebels began to retreat through the city towards the Kyrgyz border. The withdrawal was accompanied by periodic shootings. Going out to the building of the local television channel, they found that the passage was blocked. Under cover of hostages, the rebels moved forward, but the special forces still opened fire. A fierce exchange of fire ensued. Part of the peaceful protesters was looking for shelter in nearby houses.

Retreat of the pigs

A few hours later, the rebels were able to break through the cordon and go to the sleeping areas. After the hidden participants in the events on the square saw that the military was no more, they moved forward. Old men, women and children hurried to the advanced armed detachments, hoping to escape from the city. However, the next ambush awaited them further. It is still unknown how many lives the Andijan massacre carried out in 2005. Near the fifteenth school, the rebels strayed into a dense group, and the military opened a chaotic fire over them. According to eyewitnesses, the whole street was in the corpses of people. This is largely due to poor preparation and planning of the operation. In favor of this version is the fact that the military fired at the rebels, despite the fact that they used the hostages (high-ranking officials) as a human shield.

Slaughterhouse

After the shooting near the school, the fighting continued throughout the city. Despite the superiority of the military in armament, technology and the number of soldiers (most of the protesters were not armed), the rebels exerted fierce resistance. In the end, they still broke out of the city.

All night refugees from the city walked in the direction of the border (about fifty kilometers). In the border town, the column came upon an ambush of soldiers. There was another shootout, which took the lives of several people. The local population began to provide assistance to the victims. Most of them gathered in the square and began a prayer. At that time, almost all the world became aware of the Andijan events. Photo dead people the next morning flew the front pages of many authoritative newspapers.

Escape from Uzbekistan

The fugitives were going to find shelter in Kirghizia. As a result, the frightened and exhausted rebels sent an embassy of women and old men to the border guards. After several hours of negotiations for a bribe, the soldiers agreed to let the refugees pass. When they reached the Kyrgyz side, they agreed to miss them after they lay down their arms. A tent camp was organized at the site of the checkpoint. After that, the UN gave Andijan refugees the status of refugees. They found political asylum in Romania.

The Andijan events of 2005 ended in complete suppression of the insurrection. Uzbekistan for a long time could not recover from this tragedy. Several countries of the West imposed sanctions on the country. Caught by the authorities, the rebels were sentenced to lengthy imprisonment.