Activists demand ambassador return

POLICE broke up a demonstration yesterday against the dismissal of the outspoken British ambassador to Uzbekistan, detaining several civil rights activists demanding his return.

The activists gathered outside the British Embassy in the capital Tashkent calling for the reinstatement of Craig Murray, an outspoken critic of the Uzbek government’s human rights record.

They handed over a letter asking Prime Minister Tony Blair to reinstate Murray.

The letter was signed by the opposition Erk and Ozod Dehkonlar parties and 11 human rights groups.

Murray, 45, had been dismissed in October for losing the confidence of senior officials and colleagues, according to Britain’s Foreign Office.