ALMATY, May 14 (Reuters) - U.S.-based Human Rights Watch has urged Kyrgyzstan not to extradite an Uzbek asylum seeker, saying he could face torture if returned to his homeland.

Western rights groups have accused Kyrgyzstan of forcibly returning Uzbek refugees since 2005, when hundreds of people fled Uzbekistan after a state crackdown on a protest in the Uzbek city of Andizhan, which lies on the Kyrgyz border.

Human Rights Watch said an Uzbek asylum seeker identified as Yerkin Kholikov, accused at home of religious extremism, is serving a 4-year prison sentence in Kyrgyzstan on charges of illegal border crossing and other crimes.

"...If he's sent back, he'll face a serious risk of torture or other ill treatment," the group said in a statement late on Tuesday. It did not say when he left Uzbekistan. Uzbek and Kyrgyz justice officials could not be reached for comment.

"Between 2005 and 2007, the Kyrgyz government returned more than a dozen refugees and asylum seekers to Uzbekistan, and at least five Uzbek asylum seekers have disappeared from Kyrgyzstan during that period," Human Rights Watch said.

The European Union and the United States have criticised Uzbek President Islam Karimov, saying he allows human rights violations and tolerates no dissent in his former Soviet state.

He has denied the accusations, saying his main goal is to protect Uzbekistan against what he sees as a growing threat from Islamist militancy in Central Asia's most populous nation.

Uzbekistan says 187 people died in the Andizhan clashes and that most of the victims were armed extremists whose aim was to overthrow the government and establish an Islamic caliphate.

Witnesses in Andizhan said hundreds of people including women and children died when troops fired on protesters.

In a statement issued on the third anniversary of the Andizhan riot this week, the United States embassy in Uzbekistan said there was "still much to learn about this tragedy".

"We believe the best way to ensure that these tragic events are never repeated is through ongoing dialogue, accountability and reconciliation," it said. (Editing by Tim Pearce)

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