Uzbek border guards fired upon two Kyrgyz citizens

Uzbek border guards shot two Kyrgyz citizens, Vesti reports, citing the State Border Guard Service of Kyrgyzstan.

According to the department, on 25 August, a report was received about the disappearance of two residents of the village of Aigyr-Zhal in the Chatkal district. On 28 August, border representatives of the Uzbek side reported that on 15 August, two unknown citizens were found in the territory of Uzbekistan, near the intersection of the borders of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, the Republic of Uzbekistan, and the Republic of Kazakhstan, by the Uzbek border guard.

“According to the Uzbek side, when attempting to detain them, border guards used weapons due to non-compliance with the requirements. As a result, both citizens sustained life-threatening gunshot wounds”, — the State Security Service reported.

Relatives of the missing citizens travelled to the Republic of Uzbekistan on August 31 and identified them. On September 1st, the bodies of two Kyrgyz citizens were handed over to the Kyrgyz side via the “Baymak” checkpoint and taken to the morgue for examination.

The heads of the border departments of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan agreed to carry out a joint on-site investigation beginning on September 2. Additionally, the Uzbek side expressed its willingness to transfer to Kyrgyzstan the property of the deceased citizens — three horses and a tent.

“The Border Service of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan expresses profound concern about the incident. A thorough investigation is underway to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths of our citizens”, — the statement said.

As a reminder, a shooting took place on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border. The shepherds threw stones at the border guards and confronted them with automatic fire.