Uzbekistan Authorities Deport Religious Freedom Reporter

Mr Igor Rotar, Central Asian correspondent for Forum 18 has been deported after being held and detained following his recent arrival in Tashkent airport, Uzbekistan.

Widely considered an expert on Uzbekistan's Christian and Muslim religious communities, as he was detained he was not allowed to speak to anyone and was initially asked to buy his own deportation ticket. He was described as being shaken and disturbed by an eyewitness though not physically hurt.

Forum 18, a Christian News Service promoting Religious Freedom, continues to report that the detention was ordered "for political reasons at the highest levels" and was carried out by the country’s Immigration Service and Border Guards, on the instructions of the National Security Service secret police.

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and other international diplomats followed Rotar's detention and deportation closely.

It was seen by many Human Rights Groups to be part of a widespread government crackdown on journalists, human rights defenders and political activists following the May 13 massacre in Andijan.

So far dozens of Uzbek and foreign journalists and local human rights and political activists have been arrested.

Humans Rights Watch were outraged at Mr Igor's detention and called for international attention to be given to the declining situation in Uzbekistan.