Problems in Uzbekistan

I am currently reading up on Uzbekistan so that we are aware of the situation when we are there. There have been problems for some time now...

"EU foreign ministers, meeting in Brussels Monday, have expressed “profound concern” over the situation in Uzbekistan, Radio Free Europe reported.

In a statement, they deplored the lack of an independent international inquiry into last year’s events in Andizhan.

The statement also condemned the crackdown on human rights activists and the expulsion of the UN High Commission for Refugees last month. It says EU sanctions agreed last November, including a freeze on political contacts, remain in place.

EU measures against Uzbek authorities include suspending a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement and enacting a visa ban on some officials.

Tashkent says 187 people — mostly those officials describe as Islamic terrorists or members of the security forces — died when Uzbek forces opened fire to quell an uprising in Andizhan on May 13, 2005. Human rights groups and witnesses say hundreds of mostly unarmed civilians may have been killed."