| Fergana Massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of the exile of the Meskhetian Turks and the dissolution of the Soviet Union | |
| Location | Fergana Valley, Uzbek SSR |
| Date | 3 June 1989–12 June 1989 (1 week and 2 days) |
| Target | Meskhetian Turks, Bukharan Jews |
Attack type | pogrom |
| Deaths | minimum 97 [1] |
| Injured | 1,000 [1] |
| Perpetrators | Uzbek nationalist mobs |
| Accused | KGB-led mafia [2] [3] |
The Fergana massacre happened in 1989, after riots broke out between the Meskhetian Turks exiled in Uzbekistan and the native Uzbeks. Hundreds of Meskhetian Turks were killed or injured, nearly 1,000 properties were destroyed and thousands of Meskhetian Turks fled into exile. [4] Bukharian Jews living in Fergana were also targeted, and many fled to Israel. [3]
Since their World War II deportation, Meskhetian Turks were not allowed to return to their homeland. They continued living in Central Asia, primarily in Uzbekistan, until June 1989, when Uzbek extremists took part in a mass slaughter of the Meskhetian Turks and other minorities in the Fergana Valley. According to official, and most probably low figures, 97 people died, over 1,000 were wounded and 752 houses destroyed. Before the massacre, about 100,000 Meskhetian Turks lived in Uzbekistan. [1]
From 16th to 18th May 1989 clashes between Uzbeks and Turks broke out in the city of Quvasoy. On the 23rd May fighting recommenced and developed into a conflict which lasted for two days and involved hundreds of people. Crowds of Uzbeks attempted to incite a pogrom in the areas of the city populated by Meskhetian Turks and other minorities. The authorities tried to convince the crowds to disperse. After the arrival of additional military enforcement (around 300 people) from other regions the disturbance died down. According to official reports 58 people were injured, including two policemen, and of these 32 were hospitalised. The next day, one of those injured in the fighting, 26 year old Tajik Ikrom Abdurakhmanov, died.[ citation needed ]
On the morning of the 3rd July a crowd of young Uzbeks attacked Meskhetian Turks and set fire to their houses in the town of Toshloq. The crowd then moved to Yangi Margilan where they unsuccessfully tried to confront a subdivision of the Internal troops of the Soviet Union. Meskhetian Turk houses in Yangi Margilan were also destroyed and burnt. Some of the attackers returned to Toshloq where they continued the assault, and here the first death occurred. Fleeing from the attacks, Meskhetian Turks gathered under the protection of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan district committee. By the evening the crowd numbered 300-400 people and continued the massacre against Meskhetian Turks and set fire to their houses in city of Margilan. There were also attacks in Fergana.
During the night of the 3rd of June troops began to arrive in Fergana. From the morning of the 4th June till midday, buses transported Meskhetian Turks to the district committee building in Toshloq. On the morning of the 4th of June attacks on Meskhetian Turks recommenced in Fergana, Margilan, and Toshloq. Attacks started in other areas with Meskhetian Turkish populations. Crowds of Uzbeks demanded the release of those who had been arrested the day before and for the Meskhetian Turks to be handed over to them. By then there were more than 500 people gathered there. As a result of the attack, the buildings of the Toshloq communist party district committee and the Toshloq police department were partially taken over. The police were able to remove the rioters from the police department but the building was under siege for four hours. 15 police officers were injured and, of these, one died.
Authorities in Moscow and Tashkent quickly claimed that the riots were planned by the mafia, the political enemies of Russian President Gorbachev or by Uzbek nationalists. [2]
Following this events, the majority of Meskhetian Turks, about 70,000, went to Azerbaijan, whilst the remainder went to various regions of Russia (especially Krasnodar Krai), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine. [4] [5]