A/RES/60/174 (c) The statement made by the President of Uzbekistan on 28 January 2005 in which he expressed, inter alia, the intention to provide for true independence of the judiciary, and calls upon the Government of Uzbekistan to take steps to allow for its practical independence, as outlined by the President; (d) The decree of the President of Uzbekistan on 1 August 2005 that the death penalty shall be abolished in Uzbekistan as from 1 January 2008; 6 2. Expresses its grave concern at the continuing and serious human rights violations occurring in Uzbekistan, in particular: (a) Eyewitness reports of indiscriminate and disproportionate force used by government troops to quell demonstrations in Andijan in May 2005 resulting in the death of many civilians; (b) The pressure applied to prevent citizens of Uzbekistan with refugee status granted by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from travelling to a third country; (c) Reports of arbitrary arrest and detention, including of eyewitnesses to the events in Andijan; (d) Prevention of the functioning of independent media and the intolerance of any form of dissent expressed therein, and increasing restrictions on freedom of expression, particularly harassment, beatings, arrests and threats made against journalists and civil society activists attempting to document and publicize information on the events in Andijan; (e) Continuing refusal to permit the registration of opposition political parties, and their consequent inability to participate in the electoral process; (f) A continuing pattern of discrimination, harassment and prosecution with regard to the exercise of freedom of thought, conscience and religion; (g) Serious constraints on, and harassment and detention of, the members of non-governmental organizations and civil society, including human rights defenders; Deeply regrets the decision of the Government of Uzbekistan to reject 3. both the repeated calls of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for the establishment of an independent commission of inquiry into the events that occurred in Andijan on 13 May 2005 and the request of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions to visit Uzbekistan soon afterwards; 4. Strongly calls upon the Government of Uzbekistan: (a) To implement fully without any delay the recommendations contained in the report of the mission of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to Kyrgyzstan from 13 to 21 June 2005, 7 most notably with respect to granting permission for the establishment of an international commission of inquiry into the events in Andijan; _______________ 6 7 2 A/59/890, annex. E/CN.4/2006/119.