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Last Updated: Friday, 13 May, 2005, 15:52 GMT 16:52 UK
Panic as Uzbek troops open fire
Soldiers in Uzbekistan have opened fire on thousands of protesters gathered in the eastern city of Andijan.
At least one person has been killed, prompting scenes of mass panic as men, women and children fled more gunfire amid gun battles in the main square.
Troops entered Andijan after thousands of prisoners were freed by armed men in an overnight jailbreak.
A BBC correspondent in Uzbekistan says unrest in the city feeds off pent-up anger over poverty and unemployment.
The jailbreak was motivated by anger at the imprisonment of 23 men accused of Islamic extremism.
Up to 4,000 prisoners, including political prisoners and ordinary criminals, fled onto the city streets, many carrying guns.
Chaos and violence
Throughout Friday, several thousand protesters gathered in Andijan's main square and took over several buildings, calling for "justice" and "freedom".
But armoured trucks carrying Uzbek troops arrived in the square, where protesters have seized the mayor's office, and opened fire.
Men women and children fled the square in panic as protesters occupying the mayor's office reportedly returned fire. An Uzbek government helicopter hovered overhead, reports said. An eyewitness in the square spoke of "indiscriminate firing" against protesters, and said she saw "bloody corpses" lying in a ditch.
In a televised statement, Uzbek authorities accused the protesters of rejecting compromise and of using hostages for shelter, the Reuters news agency reported.
On the streets of Andijan, some protesters called for the resignation of President Islam Karimov, who was earlier reported to be heading to the city in an effort to calm protesters, but did not appear in public.
Islam Karimov & Bush
Uzbek officials said nine people were killed and 34 injured during the night, in apparent clashes between protesters and security forces.
"The people have risen," AP news agency quoted Valijon Atakhonjonov, the brother of a defendant in the long-running Islamism trial, as saying.
Unhappy nation
All foreign news broadcasts, including those of the BBC, have been blocked for domestic audiences.
Andijan is one of the main cities in the most politically sensitive part of this country, our correspondent says.
It is the barometer of feeling for a long, densely-populated valley called Ferghana with a long tradition of independent thought, and the authoritarian government in Tashkent has always eyed the valley with suspicion, she says.
The government has locked up probably thousands of local young men, many of them prominent members of the community, accusing them of Islamic extremism.
Russia expressed concern about events in Uzbekistan, but Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described the unrest as an "internal affair".
Neighbouring Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have shut their borders with Uzbekistan. Protests in Kyrgyzstan in March resulted in the overthrow of its then President, Askar Akayev.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4544599.stm
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Quotes by Islam Karimov:
"Such people must be shot in the forehead! If necessary, I'll shoot them myself…!"
"I'm prepared to rip off the heads of 200 people, to sacrifice their lives, in order to save peace and calm in the republic…If my child chose such a path, I myself would rip off his head."
Last Updated: Friday, 13 May, 2005, 15:52 GMT 16:52 UK
Panic as Uzbek troops open fire
Soldiers in Uzbekistan have opened fire on thousands of protesters gathered in the eastern city of Andijan.
At least one person has been killed, prompting scenes of mass panic as men, women and children fled more gunfire amid gun battles in the main square.
Troops entered Andijan after thousands of prisoners were freed by armed men in an overnight jailbreak.
A BBC correspondent in Uzbekistan says unrest in the city feeds off pent-up anger over poverty and unemployment.
The jailbreak was motivated by anger at the imprisonment of 23 men accused of Islamic extremism.
Up to 4,000 prisoners, including political prisoners and ordinary criminals, fled onto the city streets, many carrying guns.
Chaos and violence
Throughout Friday, several thousand protesters gathered in Andijan's main square and took over several buildings, calling for "justice" and "freedom".
But armoured trucks carrying Uzbek troops arrived in the square, where protesters have seized the mayor's office, and opened fire.
Men women and children fled the square in panic as protesters occupying the mayor's office reportedly returned fire. An Uzbek government helicopter hovered overhead, reports said. An eyewitness in the square spoke of "indiscriminate firing" against protesters, and said she saw "bloody corpses" lying in a ditch.
In a televised statement, Uzbek authorities accused the protesters of rejecting compromise and of using hostages for shelter, the Reuters news agency reported.
On the streets of Andijan, some protesters called for the resignation of President Islam Karimov, who was earlier reported to be heading to the city in an effort to calm protesters, but did not appear in public.
Islam Karimov & Bush
Uzbek officials said nine people were killed and 34 injured during the night, in apparent clashes between protesters and security forces.
"The people have risen," AP news agency quoted Valijon Atakhonjonov, the brother of a defendant in the long-running Islamism trial, as saying.
Unhappy nation
All foreign news broadcasts, including those of the BBC, have been blocked for domestic audiences.
Andijan is one of the main cities in the most politically sensitive part of this country, our correspondent says.
It is the barometer of feeling for a long, densely-populated valley called Ferghana with a long tradition of independent thought, and the authoritarian government in Tashkent has always eyed the valley with suspicion, she says.
The government has locked up probably thousands of local young men, many of them prominent members of the community, accusing them of Islamic extremism.
Russia expressed concern about events in Uzbekistan, but Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described the unrest as an "internal affair".
Neighbouring Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have shut their borders with Uzbekistan. Protests in Kyrgyzstan in March resulted in the overthrow of its then President, Askar Akayev.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4544599.stm
:::::::
:::::::
:::::::
Quotes by Islam Karimov:
"Such people must be shot in the forehead! If necessary, I'll shoot them myself…!"
"I'm prepared to rip off the heads of 200 people, to sacrifice their lives, in order to save peace and calm in the republic…If my child chose such a path, I myself would rip off his head."