UN RIGHTS OFFICE CITES CONTINUED LACK OF JUSTICE FOR VICTIMS OF KYRGYZ VIOLENCE

Subject: UN RIGHTS OFFICE CITES CONTINUED LACK OF JUSTICE FOR VICTIMS OF
KYRGYZ VIOLENCE

UN RIGHTS OFFICE CITES CONTINUED LACK OF JUSTICE FOR VICTIMS OF KYRGYZ
VIOLENCE
New York, Jun 10 2011 11:10AM
A year after ethnic violence in Kyrgyzstan killed hundreds and displaced
thousands, justice has not prevailed, and there is a lack of confidence in
the rule of law, a United Nations human rights official said today.

"Despite Government efforts, deficiencies in the administration of justice
continue to pose a major impediment to the attainment of justice for victims
and the establishment of confidence in the rule of law throughout
Kyrgyzstan, particularly in the south, where the violence had taken place
last year,"
<"http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=11135&Lan
gID=E">said Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the UN Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

"Law enforcement investigations into the June events had routinely been
accompanied by allegations of extortion, ill-treatment and torture of
detainees," he told a news briefing in Geneva.

According to UN counts, the violence that began in June 2010 killed more
than 400 persons, injured another, 2,000, and displaced at least 375,000.

"Trials monitored by OHCHR staff in Kyrgyzstan - from city courts to the
Supreme Court - continue to reveal concerns about due process, the
independence of the judiciary, security for defendants, their lawyers and
court officials," Mr. Colville said. "Reports of continuing discriminatory
practices towards Kyrgyzstan's various national and ethnic minorities are
deeply troublesome."

Sybella Wilkes, a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR), <"http://www.unhcr.org/4df1e1786.html">said that the agency is
assisting some 280,000 affected people in Osh and Jalalabad, which were
among the main areas rocked by the violence.

People are slowly picking up their lives, but further improvements in
security and the economy are needed for life to return to normal, Ms. Wilkes
said.

"UNHCR heard repeatedly from different individuals that even today there is
distrust of the local authorities," she said. "There is still a certain
degree of suspicion between communities, and the most affected groups were
not yet fully ready for reconciliation."

Out of the $11.4 million UNHCR needs to run projects in Kyrgyzstan this
year, it has received just over half and is facing a shortfall of $5.4
million, she said.