Andijan, Uzbekistan
Uzbek army troops killed hundreds of unarmed people, including women and children, independent reporters and eyewitnesses said this week. The Uzbek government disputed those accounts, saying the troops killed only armed insurgents. The unrest began when a group of armed men stormed a prison in Andijan to free 23 businessmen accused of having ties to Islamic extremists. When residents of the town poured into the central square to demonstrate in support of the detainees, troops arrived and began shooting. Several reports said the soldiers were visibly drunk and were picking off the wounded. A State Department spokesman said the U.S. was “deeply disturbed” by the incident. Uzbekistan, a former Soviet republic, is notorious for torturing political prisoners and trumping up charges of Islamic extremism.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Home Depots are the new epicenters of ICE raidsIn the Spotlight The chain has not provided many comments on the ongoing raids
-
Why does Trump keep interfering in the NYC mayoral race?Today's Big Question The president has seemingly taken an outsized interest in his hometown elections, but are his efforts to block Zohran Mamdani about political expediency or something deeper?
-
The pros and cons of banning cellphones in classroomsPros and cons The devices could be major distractions
