The human rights activist’s son passed the letter to “Ezgulik” representatives.

“… If you ask about my health, your younger brother understood all about it during his last visit. Since then, nothing has changed, I still suffer pains. Drugsfor whatever reasons do not help me I cannot understand why. I am worried under such conditions. I am not sure where I am going to be tomorrow – in the prison’s camp or the prison’s hospitalbecause it is not clear when attacks of the diseases begin again. My son, I know it is difficult for you and I have tormented youvery much. I do not know what will happen next. For a long time I tried to meet you, I tried to overcome the disease …

I had to throw away the food you brought for me as I had been not well when I left the prison’s hospital. In other words, I was not able to carry anything heavier than 5-6 kilos. I hope you realize how serious my current state is… I do not know where I’m going to be – in the prison camp or elsewhere when you come to visit me. Only God knows that. In short, son, I cannot give you advice when you should come, I’m sorry…” Bobomurod Razzokov wrote in his letter to his relatives.

I would remind that human rights activist Bobomurod Razzokov is serving his sentence in Prison 64/3 located in Tavaksai district, Tashkent province.

According to “Ezgulik” Human Rights Society, in September 2014 Bobomurod Razzokov was transferred from the prison camp to the prison’s hospital (Prison hospital UY 64/18 located in Tashkent – Jarayon’s note) due to his acute renal, liver and heart failures.

According to Abdurakhmon Tashanov, the public defender of Bobomurod Razzokov from“Ezgulik” human rights society, Razzokov has never liked to publicize himself and he has always been steadfast and overcome all difficulties of life.

But now according to Tashanov, the state of health of his Bukhara colleague is really difficult and therefore the Uzbek authorities and international human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International should seriously take his letter.

“Bobomurod-aka [aka – a polite form of address to elder people] told relatives that he may not live up to the New Year. If the matter about human rights protection does have any value in the world politics, then international organizations and the public have to fight for his release from the prison,”  said Abdurakhmon Tashanov.

He believes that arrest and conviction of human rights defender Bobomurod Razzokov were ordered from above because prior to his imprisonment he had investigated bribery and corruption cases in the government structures of the province.

In addition, according to Tashanov, Alisher Andanov, the chief of the Criminal Investigation and Anti-terrorism Department of Bukhara province Internal Affairs Department, who organized the arrest of the human rights defender, has been arrested, too.

“The fact that Alisher Andanov was arrested gives grounds for a retrial of human rights defender Bobomurod Razzokov. I also may be the basis for his rehabilitation,” Abdurakhmon Tashanov said.

On 24 September 2013, Bobomurod Razzokov from “Ezgulik” was convicted by the Bukhara province court for crimes according to Article 135 (Human Trafficking) of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan. The court sentenced the human rights activist to 4 years of imprisonment. On 19 November 2013, he was transferred to Tavaksai colony in Tashkent province.

I would remind that 58-year-old Abdurasul Khudoinazarov, another activist from “Ezgulik”, died in June 2014 a few days after his release from the prison. In the prison, he like Bobomurod Razzokov, suffered from serious diseases and needed skilled medical care. But the prison authorities of Uzbekistan had ignored Abdurasul Khudoinazarov’s health state. As a result, his health rapidly deteriorated, and soon the human rights activist died.

Timur AKHMEDOV