Russia halts extradition of 13 Uzbek suspects

MOSCOW, Aug 15 (Reuters) Russia halted the extradition of 13 people wanted by Uzbekistan on terrorism charges today after their lawyer appealed to the European Court of Human Rights, saying they could face torture and execution.

Uzbekistan wants to put the 13 on trial for their alleged involvement in a 2005 uprising in the Uzbek town of Andizhan.

Rights groups say the town was the scene of a massacre by government troops.

''The Russian Prosecutor General's office has instructed the Federal Prison Service to halt the extradition of 13 foreign citizens to Uzbekistan,'' the Prosecutor General's office said in a statement on its Web site www.genproc.gov.ru.

The extradition was stopped while the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg considers complaints filed by the 13, the statement said. Court rules prevented an extradition while a case was pending.

The 13 filed a petition to the Strasbourg court asking it to halt the extradition on the grounds their rights would not be protected in Uzbekistan, said Russian rights group Memorial, which is helping them with legal representation.

''The lawyer asked the court ... to take urgent measures to stop the extradition of her clients to a country where they could be threatened by torture and the death penalty,'' Memorial said in a statement.

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe appealed to Russia last week to stop the extradition process.

Hundreds of refugees fled Andizhan in May 2005 when witnesses said they saw troops, who were quelling protests against the local administration, kill hundreds of men, women and children.

Uzbekistan wants the refugees back, saying it has evidence they are criminals. It says most of the dead in Andizhan were armed Islamist rebels.

Earlier this month, the Russian prosecutor general's office said it was ''satisfied'' with Uzbekistan's request to extradite the 13 Uzbeks.

Most of the people who fled Andizhan went to neighbouring Kyrgyzstan. The United Nations said the Kyrgyz government violated UN conventions on refugees when it last week extradited five of the people who fled Andizhan.

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