July 1, 2010 - Bishkek/Geneva
The civil conflict in southern Kyrgyzstan, which erupted in the first half of June, was characterised by extreme violence, hatred and cruelty. Women, children, elderly and men of different ethnic groups, in particular Kyrgyz and Uzbek, are still traumatised by what they have experienced in these past weeks, including loss of loved ones and reports of rape. 560,000 people are in immediate need of food, water, shelter and medical care.
Since the constitutional referendum on June 27, the situation in Kyrgyzstan appears calm and more stable. Tensions continue, however, and violent acts including killings and kidnappings are still reported from southern Kyrgyzstan. While there is no official national or international investigation in place yet, local and international NGO networks have started documenting these events with stories, pictures and videos.
The presentation of the collected material, however, is often combined with political statements and campaigns in support of one or other of the ethnic groups. These statements endanger opportunities for reconciliation and risk further escalations of tensions and violence in Kyrgyzstan.
ACT agrees with France's Human Rights Ambassador, François Zimeray, who declared on the occasion of his visit to Kyrgyzstan on June 30 that there is still a lack of information about the events in June. ACT shares the view that there will not be reconciliation without justice, and that justice is based on all facts, which give an objective picture of what has happened.
Investigation, therefore, should not be driven by political interests. The international community, together with the Kyrgyz government, must take the lead and establish an independent body to investigate the recent events in Kyrgyzstan. In doing so, it needs to move quickly to avoid further harm, which is presently being stimulated by the abuse or careless handling of materials documenting abuses.
We, the undersigned humanitarian organisations, therefore, call upon the provisional government and the international community to:
? move quickly to set up an independent investigation body, which, by its composition, can be accepted by all sides of the conflict as a trustworthy, impartial authority
? widely communicate the establishment and working process of this body
? avoid political statements in favour of one ethnic group in this conflict until this independent body has completed its work
Signed by ACT Alliance:
1. John Nduna, ACT Alliance General Secretary
2. Jan van Doggenaar, ICCO & Kerk in Actie International Programme Director
3. Henrik Stubkjaer, DanChurchAid General Secretary
4. Paul Valentin, Christian Aid International Director