The trial of 15 Uzbek men accused of plotting a bloody rebellion in the eastern town of Andizhan began today, but human rights groups questioned its credibility and said Uzbekistan was covering up a massacre.
Uzbek authorities say the men on trial are Islamic terrorists, but rights groups accuse officials of forcing bogus confessions from people who took part in the May 13th events, in which witnesses said troops killed hundreds of people.
Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director of New York-based Human Rights Watch
"Instead of going after the perpetrators of the massacre, the Uzbek government is trying to deny responsibility and silence witnesses," Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director of New York-based Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.
The rebellion in Andizhan started when armed supporters of 23 powerful local businessmen, who had been on trial for religious extremism, were sprung from jail.
The armed men took police hostages and seized a government building in the centre of Andizhan, attracting thousands of anti-government protesters and onlookers, as many as 500 of whom were killed when troops moved in, according to witnesses.
Uzbekistan says those who died in Andizhan - it puts the figure at 187 - were mostly Islamist terrorists or civilians who were killed by them. The 15 men sat in a metal cage in a packed courtroom in the Supreme Court, their heads bowed.
Anvar Nabiyev, deputy prosecutor general, read out charges against the men including terrorism, hostage-taking, murder and an attempted coup. They are the first of more than 100 people facing trial.
"They are at great risk of being sentenced to death - and even executed - following an unfair trial," London-based Amnesty International said in a statement.
Human Rights Watch said it had documented a massive campaign by police and secret services to use threats and physical violence to obtain confessions from Andizhan residents of belonging to militant organisations and bearing arms during the protest in Andizhan's main square.