Awesome Talking Library   Search:

News -05-14-05 Journalist: How the Uzbekistan Rebellion Started (Guardian Unlimited) "When I arrived on the scene, I was able to piece together some of the events that led to the final explosion of public anger on the night of 12-13 May." "Sharif Shakirov, the brother of one of the accused, told me that straight after the court hearings, officers of the National Security Service, the SNB, started arresting people who had been outside the court." "The arrests continued through 12 May, and that night people went to try to get their friends and family members out of detention. They started at traffic police offices, and as numbers built up they moved towards a military unit based in the city, where they forced troops on to the defensive and seized Kalashnikovs." "As the night went on, they went to the regional SNB building, where the newly- arrested people were being held. There was gunfire as SNB officers held off the crowds. Protest leaders said at least 30 people were killed, although there have been no verified casualty figures." 5-05