TASHKENT, September 7 (Itar-Tass) -- Uzbekistan became the target of a carefully planned information attack on the part of the Western mass media during the riot in Andizhan in May 2005, the Prosecutor-General’s Office of Uzbekistan believes.

“With this in view representatives of some foreign human rights organisations, mass media organs and charity societies, informed in advance, started coming to the cities close to Andizhan – to Osh, Aravan, Karasu and Jalalabad – long before the beginning of the developments, starting from May 9 and 10. Some of them came there as early as on the first days of May. When staying in those areas, they waited for the beginning of the developments, in order to register an explosion in Andizhan and to circulate slanderous reports about the actions taken by the authorities and the law enforcement agencies,” says a report of the Uzbek Prosecutor-General’s Office received by Itar-Tass on Wednesday.

The Prosecutor-General’s Office believes that the organisers of the riot intended to create the impression that the city was swept with the rebellion of the people, dissatisfied with the authorities, and the government troops allegedly started a combat operation against the population. At the same time, the international humanitarian and charity organisations were to demand “an end to the massacre, unleashed against the civilian population.”

“The terrorists counted on the laxity and negligence of some policemen and servicemen, who permitted the violation of the regulations, and they were right, in a way. Criminal proceedings were instituted against 25 policemen and servicemen, who displayed criminal negligence with regard to their duties for guarding the facilities that were entrusted to them, and who failed to repulse the attack of the gangsters properly,” the report continued.

According to the report, a total of 93 people died during massive unrest in Andizhan on May 13-14. 94 terrorists were killed.