Expression of deep despair

Human Rights Watch issued a report on political prisoners in Uzbekistan. They can indirectly attribute the eldest daughter of the president

The Human Rights Watch International Human Rights Office has issued a new report on the situation of political prisoners in Uzbekistan recently, which provides the facts of their systematic torture, humiliation and content in conditions that do not meet any humanitarian norms.

The report of Human Rights Watch under the heading “Until the end” says that the most sophisticated and different tortures are applied to the political prisoners in Uzbekistan, including beating, an electric shock, simulation of strangulation, the threat of rape and humiliation with sexual bulk. The conclusions of the authors are based on the research of legal documents, court decisions and numerous interviews, including 10 former prisoners who have just been released. In the vast majority of cases, these people were sentenced to imprisonment on the basis of almost unsettled and fabricated accusations, emphasizes Steve Sverdlov , expert Human Rights Watch in Central Asia:

- The Uzbek authorities systematically extend the terms for prisoners who are in prisons for politically motivated accusations, and do this on completely absurd, crazy and ridiculous grounds. We were able to document 14 cases, of all 44, which are discussed in our report, when the convicts received new sentences and new terms for such "crimes" as poor cleaning of carrots in prison kitchen, cleaned shoes, wearing white shirt, prayer aloud and visiting the restroom without permission. And for such "violations" people were given an additional three, five years behind bars! They do not have the right to a lawyer, sentences to them a certain semblance of a judicial board, and very often they are announced to extend the term of imprisonment in just five days, or a couple of weeks before the moment they should be released.

The report of Human Rights Watch describes many sad fates of the most, according to Steve Sverdlov , bright and talented representatives of Uzbekistan, journalists, civil activists, scientists, cultural figures and just “fighters for truth” who dared to draw attention to the facts of large -scale corruption among officials. In particular, he distinguishes the story of journalist Muhammad Bekjanov, who was stolen in Russia and transported to Uzbekistan for a demonstration court:

- Muhammad Bekjanov is the most long journalist sitting in prison around the world. His case is a great example of numerous and various human rights violations that Uzbek authorities admit to all their critics. He was abducted by the intelligence services of Uzbekistan in 1999 and sent to his homeland without the slightest legal justification. During the process, he experienced completely monstrous torture. And his business also perfectly illustrates the practice of a systematic extension of the terms of imprisonment by political prisoners. Just five days before his release, which was supposed to occur in early 2012, his relatives found out that he received an additional sentence for some uncertain impaired prison regime.

In the report of Human Rights Watch, Steve Sverdlov continues, other examples are also given. Abdurasul Khudoynazarov, a civil activist, soon after the release at the beginning of this spring, who died of cancer, before his death, told how, during all eight years of his conclusion, the administration of his colony constantly refused to provide him with at least some medical care. Another human rights activist and public activist Azam Pharmonov, who has been in prison since 2006, says that the police literally knocked out of him false recognition in imperfect crimes - for several days he was beaten with sticks in the legs and feet and strangled him, putting a Masca of gas mask with a closed valve on his face.

The Government of Uzbekistan is trying with all its might to hide the evidence of violations of human rights and suffering, which all its opponents experience in prison, it wants to hide from the world even the very fact of their existence. But all these new evidence at least mean that Tashkent can no longer declare that there are no political prisoners in Uzbekistan, says Steve Sverdlov :

- I believe that the Uzbek authorities do not "vaccinate from criticism" and therefore are forced to respond to our statements. Tashkent is very taking care of his reputation, especially in the acute political issues that are discussed. And, I think, the attention of the whole world to what is happening in Uzbekistan will soon be even greater - in the light of the approaching presidential elections scheduled in this country for the next year.

According to him, pressure from international human rights organizations is already beginning to give results:

-Probably the most obvious example of how the authorities of Uzbekistan still change their attitude towards people is the current collection of cotton harvest. We see improvements, although officials still, of course, use forced labor in the fields. However, there is a result. Pressure on our side is fruit. I hope that the 34 people remaining in prisons, which are discussed in our report, will be able to get free if we continue not to lose their fate and if the United States, the European Union and other countries and politicians will more openly criticize Uzbekistan, ”said the expert Human Rights Watch in the countries of Central Asia , Steve Sverdlov .

Speaking about prisoners in Uzbekistan, it is impossible not to mention the fate of the 42-year-old Gulnara Karimova, the former “first princess” of the country, the eldest daughter of President Islam Karimov , who was once considered him a potential successor, and today, who was under house arrest for criticism of the internal and foreign policy of his father, and officially on charges of involvement in several corruption scandals . Although its current position and the reasons why it was in it, of course, is not comparable to the troubles of the people, which are discussed in the report of Human Rights Watch. This month, information agencies distributed Karimova photographs, in which the former legislator of the mod and secular style in the country is captured in slippers and a simple jacket at the doors of a private house, apparently desperately arguing about something with three guards.

The photo was provided by the representative of Gulnara Karimova in the UK Loxley Ryan, who noted that, according to the reports, she and her daughter Iman are in dire need of medical care. In an interview with Radio, Lexli Loxe Ryan said that he was very concerned about the fate of the daughter of the President of Uzbekistan:

-As you can imagine, it is very difficult for us to get at least some information from there. In general, any contacts are extremely difficult. However, we have many friends who help us. These photographs show a typical scene, what happens every day. The protection surrounds it 24 hours a day. As soon as she opens the door of her house - just to breathe air to ask to bring food - they block her road. I have no right to tell on which day these photos were taken, but they are very fresh. Simply put, I do not want to endanger the life of the author of pictures. In general, look at her face and decide that this is not an expression of deep despair. She is in complete isolation, she did not see anyone and did not talk for long months. These photos speak for themselves. She constantly repeats that she is absolutely not guilty, but what does it matter to those who keep her under arrest? The only possible way to solve the problem is to allow Gulnar to appear before the legal and independent court. However, there are no such courts in Uzbekistan, ”says the representative of Gulnara Karimova in London Loxley Ryan .

The Prosecutor General’s Office of Uzbekistan recently reported a preliminary investigation in a criminal case in which a certain “Karimova G.” appears as a suspect, and a source in law enforcement agencies of the country said that it was the eldest daughter of the Uzbek president Gulnar Karimova. As stated on the website of the Uzbek prosecutor’s office, members of a certain organized group that it included, from 2011 to 2013, under the guise of entrepreneurship, caused damage to the state on an especially large scale. They are accused of blackmail, extortion, falsification of documents and theft. Earlier this year, it was reported that two people from Karimova’s closest encirclement were sentenced to long prison terms on charges of financial crimes. In Uzbekistan, television channels and radio stations controlled by the president’s daughters and its ownership stores of fashion stores were closed.

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  Alexander GOSTEV

  The editor of the RS information service, international observer, author and editor of the heading and podcast "Atlas of the World"

  Gosteva@rferl.org