The non-governmental organization (NGO) Human Rights Watch accused the armed forces of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan of having committed war crimes in attacks against civilians in September 2022, in a report released on Tuesday.
The 69-page report is titled “‘When We Moved, They Shot: Violations of the Laws of War in the Kyrgyz-Tajikistan Border Conflict in September 2022’ and looks at four days of fighting in 2022, from September 14-17. . .
“Kyrgyz forces fired on ambulances and cars carrying civilians and, in one case, killed at least ten civilians in a bombing (…) in a city square. Tajik forces fired on cars carrying civilians and killed (…) at least eight civilians (…) and allowed large-scale looting and burning of private property in villages in Kyrgyzstan,” the document says.
“Civilians living in the disputed border areas of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan paid a heavy price for the callous conduct of Kyrgyz and Tajik forces during the fighting in September,” said Jean-Baptiste Gallopin, one of the crisis and conflict researchers. of Human Rights Watch, adding that “the relatives of the victims deserve justice and reparation that paves the way for a resolution of this ongoing conflict that respects human rights.”
The NGO stressed that the focus of its work is on violations of international humanitarian law and that “the organization does not take a position on which side started the conflict.”
In late October and early November, Human Rights Watch interviewed 86 people on both sides of the border, including 69 survivors, witnesses, or relatives of victims. The researchers visited the affected villages, examined the ammunition left on the ground, reviewed 12 videos, analyzed satellite images and built 3D models of the attacks.
Human Rights Watch also sent a series of questions to the governments of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in December 2022 and March 2023. “The Kyrgyz government responded with information about attacks against its citizens, but did not provide information about attacks involving its own forces. The Tajikistan government has not responded to questions from Human Rights Watch,” he said.
In all, Human Rights Watch documented the deaths of 37 civilians, including five children, and the wounding of 36 others on both sides. “Press reports and official casualty lists indicate that the total death toll could reach 51 civilians killed and 121 injured. An estimated 130,000 people have been displaced in Kyrgyzstan alone and, as of January 2023, at least 4,000 still remain in their homes,” the report states.
Source: TSF
