II. Recommendations

To the Government of Uzbekistan

Cease all harassment of refugees who returned to Uzbekistan.
Cease all harassment of those believed to have been involved or to have information about those involved in the Andijan protests.
Cease coercing families of refugees to convince their relatives to return and allow them to leave the country if they wish to do so.
Ensure that all those who may wish to return to Andijan can do so in safety and dignity.
Ensure that all people in Andijan, regardless of their purported involvement in the 2005 Andijan events or their status as returned refugees or as family members of refugees, have equal access to all social benefits.
Allow independent human rights organizations and media to work unfettered in Andijan.
Grant diplomatic missions based in Tashkent and nongovernmental organizations access to those individuals who have been forcibly returned to Uzbekistan by the countries where they had sought asylum.
Immediately release from custody human rights defenders, journalists, and political activists wrongly detained and arrested.

Press the Uzbek government to cease the harassment described in this report. This should be done both in the context of multilateral human rights dialogues and at high-level meetings, bi- and multilateral, with Uzbek government officials.
Urge the Uzbek government to allow full access to Andijan for independent human rights monitors and organizations and media.
Continue to emphasize the need for a full and independent inquiry into the Andijan massacre as part of their engagement with Uzbekistan.
Prioritize for resettlement Uzbek asylum seekers until conditions are in place to guarantee they may return with safety and dignity. Recognize that charges brought by the Uzbek government against asylum seekers sometimes lack substance and should not be an obstacle to granting asylum or resettling refugees.

Comply with the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol and the Convention Against Torture. Specifically, protect and guarantee the rights of refugees from Uzbekistan who have fled to your country seeking safety.
Refrain from returning refugees, asylum seekers, or any other individuals to Uzbekistan if they have a well-founded fear of persecution or if there are substantial grounds for believing that they would be in danger of being subjected to torture or other ill-treatment upon return.

May 2008