OSH, Kyrgyzstan – Gulasal Vakhitdzhanova gazes sadly at the charred remains of an ancient mulberry tree in what used to be her courtyard.All that is left of the family's belongings is a mangled bed frame.Vakhitdzhanova is one of tens of thousands of Uzbeks who have been pushed out of refugee camps in Uzbekistan, where they fled after ethnic riots, to return to southern Kyrgyzstan.This week,
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan – A top U.S envoy called Saturday for an independent investigation into the violence that has devastated southern Kyrgyzstan, as amateur video emerged of unarmed Uzbeks gathering to defend their town during the attacks.Prosecutors on Saturday charged Azimzhan Askarov, the head of a prominent human rights group who shot the video, with inciting ethnic hatred.Askarov had
DAMASCUS, Syria – An international human rights group has urged Syrian authorities to drop any new charges against a political activist who has completed his prison sentence.Human Rights Watch said Ali Abdullah of the Damascus Declaration opposition group finished a 30-month sentence on Wednesday but instead of being released, prison authorities sent him to the intelligence headquarters.The
LONDON – A human rights group says a Congolese court has sentenced two Norwegians, one of whom also has British citizenship, to death for spying in Congo.The British government says it deplores the sentence handed down on dual British-Norwegian national Joshua French.Human rights group Reprieve has been giving French legal help and says he and Norwegian colleague Tjostolv Moland were senten
JOHANNESBURG – A monitor for the body set up to halt the trade in rough diamonds that fuel conflicts believes Zimbabwe is on track to meet international diamond mining standards and should be allowed to resume selling diamonds in international markets, according to a report obtained Wednesday by The The body, Kimberley Process Certification, is expected to follow the advice of the monito