Every year Front Line Defenders, human rights watchdog with headquarters in Dublin, presents the Front Line Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk to one person who has made an outstanding contribution to the cause of human rights.

On 28 January 2013 the jury made up of members

This year, the jury made up of well-known European politicians and Front Line Defenders board member, after considering 90 candidates, announced the names of the 6 human rights defenders who are the finalists for this year’s Award.

They are human rights activists from Cambodia, Iran, Colombia, Uzbekistan, Mauritania and Kenya. Each of the six finalists have faced threats and intimidation while two, Mam Sonando from Cambodia and David Rabelo Crespo from Colombia are currently in prison

This year, the international human rights organization “Fiery Hearts Club” recommended Uzbek human rights activist Bakhtiyor Khamraev for this high award.

Mutabar Tadjibayeva, head of the organization, explains the reasons for this decision:

“When the Front Line Defenders sent an email informing about the start of selection of nominees for the award for human rights defenders who work in risk zones, I immediately decided to recommend Bakhtiyor Khamraev, who continues his human rights activities, despite his bad health and being under the pressure and persecution of government. Without a doubt, today dozens of human rights defenders in Uzbek prisons deserve this award.

For example, Azam Farmonov, who is not amnestied and is kept in Jaslyk – one of the worst prisons in the country, Azam Turgunov, imprisoned because of his human rights activities and scalded with boiling water in custody, Dilmurod Sayid, whose wife and daughter tragically died when driving for the date with him in the colony, Solijon Abdurakhmanov, who remains in prison despite his old age.

Nevertheless, I believe that Bakhtiyor Khamraev, who daily struggles with the terrible physical pain because of a severe disease that he caught due to government’s pressure against his human rights activism, has every right to enjoy the fruits of his labor for the good of the Uzbek people,” said Mutabar Tadjibayeva.

For the last 16 years Bakhtiyor Khamraev has been engaged in human rights work. All these years, he led the Jizzakh regional department of the Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan (HRSU) and worked on identifying human rights violations in the region. In recent years Khamraev became the link between the imprisoned human rights defenders and their families, helping to disseminate information about their conditions in detention, torture and ill-treatment, as well as helping their families to obtain legal and financial assistance.

The price that he had to pay for this sometimes was too high, but in spite of all the difficulties, he continued his work, refused to leave the country and tried to change the situation related to human rights in one of the worst regions of the country in this matter. Unfortunately, Khamraev suffers cancer, which is currently in its final stages, and yet he continues to send out information on violations of human rights and helping families of imprisoned human rights defenders.

We are publishing an interview with Bakhtiyor Khamraev that was recorded by journalist of “Jarayon” on February 2, 2013.

Jarayon: Mr. Khamraev, we are very happy to learn that the jury of Front Line Defenders included you to the list of finalists of the prestigious award for human rights defenders. I hope very soon we will be able to congratulate you with receiving the Prize…

Bakhtiyor Khamraev :First of all, I want to thank Mutabar Tadjibaeva, head of International human rights organization “Fiery Hearts Club”. This organization recommended me as a candidate, and of course, I am very grateful for this.

As I know, the jury considered the candidacy of 90 human rights activists from around the world, and chose the six of them, including me, as finalists. Of course, it is not only my merit, you should never think like that. It is because the world community is aware of the situation in the Uzbek society.

I would like to highlight the fact that in 1992 our organization (the Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan – editorial) tried to register with the Ministry of Justice of Uzbekistan. But, unfortunately, we were refused a registration.

I headed the Jizzakh regional branch of the organization since 1996. Jizzakh rights defenders especially outstand among others for their work in the field of human rights, and based on that, I believe my candidacy was recommended for this award.

Generally speaking, Jizzakh is a very special region. From the curse of history we know about Jizzakh uprising. Therefore, I believe that the idea of ​​putting my candidacy for this award was not only out of respect for me personally. By representing my candidacy for the ward, the Front Line for the first time respected the work and efforts of all human rights defenders and opposition members in Jizzakh.

Jarayon: Indeed, Jizzakh is a very active region in terms of human rights. There are many rights activists, and they had done many activities. However, you know that the human rights situation in Uzbekistan has not changed for the better. As far as we know, you have been engaged in human rights work for 16 years. Often, when a person is engaged in a certain work for many years, but does not see any positive result of it, they lose heart. Do you have the same feelings?

Bakhtiyor Khamraev: Never. I can repeat it a hundred times. Personally, I have never had such a mood, because every society in past had many people – be it Bakhtiyor, Eshmat, Toshmat – who always cleaned the society, fought for the sake of future generations to leave the society in a state of perfection. And the struggle happens now, and it will always continue. It is a historical process.

Regarding Jizzakh region, when we organized our society, it employed 127 people. We’ve done a lot of work in the field of human rights. We always responded to what was happening in the community, worked to free many people from prison, held demonstrations. But we never lose heart.

Second, take South Africa as an example. The amazing man, Nelson Mandela, who is considered the father of the nation, struggled for national liberation in South Africa. I always pictured this man in my mind when fighting for human rights. Because this man did not leave his country even after serving 27 years in prison. He had a chance to save his life by leaving the country and to manage the process in the country from abroad.

But he did not give up his homeland. By saying this I don’t mean that “I did not give up my homeland, I showed heroism.” Take the case of Vaclav Havel. He had seen many things in Czech prisons. But in the end, he became the president of the Czech Republic and the man respected by many people. I believe there is no need to cite other examples.

Jarayon: Every man has a dream. It turns out that you recently married your son. You fulfilled one of your wishes as a parent. But do you have a wish and dream as a human rights activist, and as an ordinary Uzbek?

Bakhtiyor Khamraev: Uzbekistan is behind in development. My dream – I don’t know we will see these days or not, it cannot be accomplished in one or two years, it may need twenty or thirty years – my dream is to see a prosperous future of Uzbekistan. Saying this, I do not look at Uzbekistan, as a separate state.

Central Asia has a lot of natural resources given by Allah, and many leading powers fought for it. I want all five countries in the region unite their economic capacities, and, as the European Union, made it to the international level improving the welfare of the people. I have such a dream.

Jarayon: It appears you have a very beautiful dream as an ordinary citizen. What are your dreams as a human rights activist?

Bakhtiyor Khamraev: Let’s look back at the history of our rights defenders and divide it into two periods – to the period before the Andijan massacre, and to the period after this tragedy. These two periods are very different from each other. Many things were done in Uzbekistan before the Andijan tragedy. Slowly we achieved a lot. Unfortunately, we were in a very difficult position after the Andijan events. Today, there are only few rights defenders left in the country. But they continue to struggle.

There will come a time (but it requires a lot of time), and dreams of the people, who are fighting for justice, for their people, for the future, for their country, will come true. This is my dream. Unfortunately, I am not healthy. But this does not mean that I have to stop working. I must fight. There have been very difficult days in my life, but I am a person, who never loses heart. I believe that the process will change for the better, and our dreams will eventually come true.

Jarayon: Thank you very much for the interview. On behalf of our team, we wish you good health.

The winner of the 2013 Front Line Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk will be announced at a ceremony in Dublin later in the year.