Death sentences and executions in Uzbekistan have reached...

Death sentences and executions in Uzbekistan have reached an alarmingly high number with at least 56 death sentences and 20 executions known since the beginning of 1999. The majority of these sentences followed the February 1999 bomb explosions in Tashkent which the Uzbek government claims were attempts on President Islam Karimov's life. President Karimov reportedly told journalists in April 1999: "I am prepared to rip off the heads of 200 people, to sacrifice their lives, in order to save peace and calm in the republic".

(Sources: Amnesty International Bulletin, 01/09/2000)