Call from human rights organization to protect refugees from Uzbekistan

18 July 2006  Human Rights Watch have called on the European Union to pay particular attention to the need to protect Uzbek refugees in countries neighbouring Uzbekistan.

The call was made while a meeting was taking place in Brussels between leaders of the EU and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.

Human Rights Watch states that hundreds of people have left Uzbekistan because they faced persecution on political or religious grounds and are seeking asylum in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.