UN Human Rights Chief to Shun Uzbekistan on Central Asia Tour

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, will sidestep Uzbekistan when she visits Central Asia from April 22 to May 4. After May 2005, when Uzbek security forces killed hundreds of civilians in Andijan, Arbour called for an independent investigation. The protests were sparked by judicial proceedings against a group of local businessmen, and Arbour has expressed doubts about the fairness of those trials. This is Arbour’s first visit to Central Asia as the UN’s human rights commissioner. On April 16, she met representatives of non-government groups working on human rights, including members of the International Helsinki Federation who gave her a set of recommendations to take with her.