Call upon authorities to provide full information on Yuri Zhukovsky case
On October 12, number of Swedish and Russian media, as well as online publications focusing on Uzbekistan, reported that the Russian law enforcement agencies arrested Yuri Zhukovsky, a suspect and wanted in connection with the murder attempt of the famous Uzbek imam Obidkhon Nazarov. 34-year-old Yuri Zhukovsky, presumably a native of Uzbekistan, had a double (Uzbek and Russian) citizenship.
Well-known imam Obidkhon Nazarov was forced to leave Uzbekistan in 2006 due to systematic harassment by the authorities, and was resettled in Sweden with the help of UNHCR. Murder attempt on imam was committed on 22 February 2012, in the Swedish city Stromsund. Nazarov was shot several times near the entrance to his house. Since then Uzbek imam has been in a coma.
It has been over a month since media reported about the detention of a suspect Yuri Zhukovsky. However, the public still has not received any further information on the case.
International human rights organizations “Fiery Hearts Club” is convinced that the processes on the case of suspect in the assassination of a prominent imam cannot be held behind closed doors. On the contrary, we believe that authorities of Russia and Sweden should make every effort to process Yuri Zhukovsky’s case transparent and open.
Recent events show that Russia and Uzbekistan are re-building once lost links between each other. Last week Uzbek authorities have recognized the legitimacy of “MTS-Uzbekistan”, daughter-company of Russian mobile operator MTS, the activities of which had been suspended in the middle of 2012.
The international human rights organization “Fiery Hearts Club” is concerned that Islam Karimov’s regime could have required “non-extradition of Zhkukovsky to Sweden” in exchange to positive solutions on case of “MTS-Uzbekistan”.
In this connection, the international human rights organization “Fiery Hearts Club” urges the authorities of Sweden and Russia to provide public full information on suspect Yury Zhukovsky’s case.
Mutabar Tadjibayeva,
Head of International human rights organizations “Fiery Hearts Club”
Paris, France.
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