# Two suspects linked to Andijan riots await prosecutors' decision

21/12/2005 10:37 NOVOSIBIRSK, December 21 (RIA Novosti, Maksim Koshmarchuk) - Two Uzbeks arrested in Novosibirsk on suspicion of involvement in the Andijan riots will be extradited home only after documents submitted by Uzbek law enforcement to the Russian Prosecutor General's Office have been checked, a spokesman for the local prosecutor's office said Wednesday.

On November 18, Novosibirsk security officers arrested the two internationally wanted suspects, who Uzbek special services said were members of a religious terrorist group. Uzbek law enforcement said one of the two suspects was involved in the May attack on government institutions in Andijan.

Uzbek authorities claim that the Andijan riots were masterminded by Islamic extremist groups linked to international terrorist organizations. According to official data, 187 people died in the ensuing violence, including 60 civilians and 31 policemen. Human rights groups say about 700 civilians died as a result of the authorities' violent crackdown.