Despite the warnings from UN, official Astana extradited Uzbek asylum seeker Khairullo Tursunov to Tashkent. And in his hometown of Karshi, Uzbekistan, someone spread the rumor that “Tursunov died long ago in Kazakhstan”.

On 13 March, at 10:15 am local time, the Kazakh authorities extradited individual asylum seeker from Uzbekistan Khairullo Tursunov to Tashkent. Tursunov was sent home via flight Almaty-Tashkent of the air company “Air Astana”.

Kazakh authorities gave no immediate comment on the extradition of Khairullo Tursunov. But at the same time they did not confirm the information about non-refoulement of Tursunov to Uzbekistan.

On February 28 of this year, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights of UN, responded to the complaint of the France based international human rights organization “Fiery Hearts Club” sent on behalf of Tursunov. OHCHR stated the complaint would be considered by the UN Committee against Torture for the period six months, and during that period the international body must be notified within two months about any movement, complaint or dissatisfaction associated with Khairullo Tursunov.

OHCHR asked the Kazakh authorities not to extradite Tursunov in Uzbekistan during this time period. However, the Kazakh side has not yet responded to the written request of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Meanwhile, the International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law in Kazakhstan appealed to the Attorney General’s Office, the National Security Committee and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan to suspend the extradition of Khairullo Tursunov.

The Kazakh authorities disregarded the request as well, and after almost a year of detention, extradited Tursunov to Tashkent.

Denis Dzhivaga, representative of the International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law, says that “if the UN Committee against Torture rules that it was against the international norms to send Tursunov [to Uzbekistan], naturally it will have negative affect on the image of Kazakhstan.”

– Again, it turns out that the Republic of Kazakhstan does not fulfill its international obligations. Again, the West can safely say that we [Kazakhstan] do not have a rule of law, as we have violated human rights, – said Denis Dzhivaga.

However, in 2011, in spite of all requests and calls, the Kazakh authorities extradited 29 Uzbek refugees to Tashkent. It was reported that majority of extradited refugees where later imprisoned and subjected to brutal torture and ill treatment. In 2012, the UN Committee against Torture ruled that Kazakhstan, by sending Uzbek refugees to Uzbekistan, violated its international obligations in the field of human rights, extraditing people to countries where torture is systematic. The Committee obliged Kazakhstan to return extradited people and pay them financial compensations. However, the official Astana failed to meet this requirement of the UN Committee against Torture as well.

Observers note that Kazakhstan will not be put any pressure and criticized despite extraditing yet another refugee to Uzbekistan. The Kazakh authorities are using country’s rich natural resources for their own advantages in international political arena. It is for vast natural resources that human rights violations and persecution of political parties is often neglected in Kazakhstan.

Rumors about the death of the Uzbek refugee

Khairullo Tursunov, born in the city of Karshi of Kashkadarya region, Uzbekistan, was detained in Kazakh city of Aktobe in April 2012, and since then had been kept in detention center for further extradition to Uzbekistan.

Uzbek authorities have accused him of terrorism, attempting to overthrow the constitutional order, and membership in a jamaat, established in Almaty.

“Jarayon” became aware of the fact that in recent months rumors spread in Karshi that Khairullo Tursunov died in Kazakhstan.

Due to the fact that it was the Uzbek security services behind these rumors, many of Tursunov’s relatives believed in his death.

Observers say such rumors are dangerous, and believe that security services will thus divert attention of Tursunov’s relatives away from his case, and secretly take him to the court.

– These are disturbing rumors. Maybe the National Security Service started spreading these rumors to conduct Khairullo Tursunov’s trial in private, and close the case not providing any information about it, – says one of the Uzbek refugees now living in Europe.

In 2003, Khairullo Tursunov was charged with terrorism and attempting to overthrow the constitutional order of Uzbekistan. The Uzbek authorities accused him and 18 other believers in the membership of a terrorist group, and sentenced him to 12 years in prison.

In February 2004, Tursunov was released under an amnesty. But law enforcement officials continued to persecute and put pressure on him.

In August 2009, Khairullo Tursunov was slandered and again sent to prison for 10 days. During the arrest, investigators of the intelligence services tortured him and demanded from his information about the whereabouts of human rights activist Gaibullo Jalilov.

Upon his release, Tursunov fled to Russia and applied for asylum there. However, in December 2009, due to the pressure of the Uzbek security services, his wife Nodira Burieva and their three children fled to Almaty to seek an asylum. Tursunov joined them after he learned that his family was in Kazakhstan. In Almaty, he appealed to the Kazakhstani office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and asked for protection.