That information has not been confirmed by any other source.
RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reports that some among the group may face charges in Uzbekistan. It was also not clear if all returned voluntarily.
Uzbek authorities claim UN officials tried "unsuccessfully" to convince the 13 not to return to Uzbekistan.
Hundreds, possibly thousands, of Uzbek citizens fled violence in the eastern Uzbek city of Andijon on May 13, 2005, many crossing into neighboring Kyrgyzstan.
The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees later evacuated 439 of the refugees to Romania and from there most were resettled to countries in Europe and North America. More than 50 have voluntarily returned home since then.
(with material from Interfax)
Andijon Refugees
Uzbek refugees in Kyrgyzstan on May 19, 2005 (epa)
NO PLACE TO GO: More than 400 Uzbeks who fled in panic in the hours and days after troops opened fire on demonstrators in Andijon one year ago have been granted political asylum outside Central Asia. In limbo for weeks in Kyrgyzstan as they and the world tried to come to grips with the bloody events of May 12 and 13, they feared for their lives and the lives of family members as the official crackdown continued.... (more)
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THE COMPLETE STORY: A dedicated webpage bringing together all of RFE/RL's coverage of the events in Andijon, Uzbekistan, in May 2005 and their continuing repercussions.
CHRONOLOGY
For an annotated timeline of the Andijon events and their repercussions, click here.
