Uzbekistan orders UN agency to leave

The UN refugee agency, which has sought to block the return of refugees to Uzbekistan, said today that the Uzbek government had ordered it to leave the country in one month.

Uzbek authorities, who have accused the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) of protecting criminals and terrorists by opposing deportations of Uzbek asylum seekers from Kyrgyzstan, told UNHCR on Friday that it would have to end its presence in the country, an agency statement said.