MTo Ambassador of Sweden, Mr.Åke Peterson

Dear Mr.Peterson,

Allow me to pay my respect and honor, as well as to express my appreciation for your contribution to the protection of human rights. International Human Rights Association “Fiery Hearts Club” expresses its sincere appreciation for your interest in the public discussion of the state of human rights in Uzbekistan. We hope that visiting Uzbekistan you will get a lot of unforgettable experiences.

International Human Rights Association “Fiery Hearts Club” is a non-governmental organization, whose mission is to carry out monitoring and investigative journalism, promoting civil society in Central Asia. Our organization is actively cooperating with reputable international NGOs and human rights organizations.

The absolute truth is that the Republic of Uzbekistan is one of the most closed and authoritarian post-Soviet countries, where human rights are continuously violated. Taking the opportunity of your visit to Uzbekistan, we would ask you, during talks with the authorities, to focus your attention on issues related to human rights, political prisoners and rights activists.

Authorities of Uzbekistan claim that there are no human rights concerns in the country. However, the facts our organization deeply doubt these statements. In the article “Hypocrisy of official Tashkent” published on our website (http://jarayon.com/ru/index.php/2012-04-04-14-31-53/item/544-litsemerie-ofitsialnogo-tashkenta), we tried to describe in details the very problems faced by our partners in Uzbekistan.

Prosecution for human rights work and fabricated criminal cases against civil society activists are one of the most important problems of our partners. You may be aware of fabricated criminal case against 75-years-old representative of citizen journalism Turaboy Juraboev from Gallaaral district of Jizzakh region. On May 31 of this year, several law enforcement officials fraudulently lured him out of his house, and took him to the District Department of Internal Affairs, where the civil society activist was subjected to inhuman treatment and torture.

When close relatives of Mr. Juraboev, in seek of truth, started appealing to competent authorities and giving interviews to the international radio stations and NGOs about the incident, they were subjected to psychological pressure and threats by police Jizzakh region.

International Human Rights Association “Fiery Hearts Club” is very concerned about the fate of Feruza Mamatov, Mr. Juraboev’s wife. Our colleagues contacted her last time at the end of August. For more than a month we cannot reach her and do not know in what situation she is. The fact is that the wife of human rights activist was exposed to severe psychological pressure by Shahob Abduvohidov, officer at the Department for Combating Organized Crime and the Criminal Investigation of Jizzakh region.

It was Abduvohidov who initiated the criminal case against Turaboy Juraboev, supervising the preliminary investigation and trial process to make sure that it has an accusatory manner. Shahob Abduvohidov influenced the witnesses to have them give false testimonies against the rights activist, but, despite his best efforts, most of the witnesses refused their initial testimony. Gallaral District Criminal Court sentenced Turaboy Juraboev to five years in prison.

One of the “achievements” of independent Uzbekistan is the creation of a notorious penitentiary center UYa 64/71. The prison, created on the personal initiative of President Islam Karimov, is located in the village of Jaslyk in Muinak district of the autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan. Majority of prisoners in “Jaslyk” colony were imprisoned for political and religious reasons. They are subject to unimaginable tortures and torments for no particular reason. Annual acts of amnesty to mark the Day of Independence and Constitution Day of Uzbekistan do not affect the prisoners of UYa 64/71 penitentiary center. “Jaslyk” is a shameful scar on the face of the Uzbek authorities.

Azam Farmonov, chairman of the Syrdarya regional branch of the Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan, was arrested on April 29, 2006, and sentenced to nine years in prison on fabricated criminal charges for alleged “extortion.” The human rights activist is serving his prison term in “Jaslyk” colony, where he is systematically tortured. Relatives and friends of the human rights activist hoped that Azam Farmonov would be pardoned on decision of the Senate of the Parliament dated 05.12.2012 “On amnesty in connection with the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan”. However, due to the fact that the prison administration added “systematic violations of prison order” into his personal case, and “applied disciplinary punishment” against him, Mr. Farmonov was not pardoned.

Hoping to get copies of documents proving the “systematic violations prison order” by Azam Farmonov, and that he was “subject to disciplinary punishment”, relatives of the human rights activist hired an attorney, who wrote a letter to the General Department of Corrections and the Attorney General’s Office. However, under the pressure of public bodies and the fear of losing his legal license, a lawyer stopped communicating with relatives of the human rights activist, refused to give them copies of the documents and asked them not to call him anymore. Thus, Azam Farmonov continues serving his sentence in one of the harshest colonies of Uzbekistan only for one reason – for being a human rights activist.

We gave you only two examples of politically motivated criminal cases against representatives of civil society for their professional activities. But, along with Turaboy Juraboev and Azam Farmonov, today there are thousands of other innocent people being held in the infamous prisons of the authoritarian regime of Karimov.

International Human Rights Association “Fiery Hearts Club” presents you a list of prisoners of conscience, who have been convicted on trumped-up criminal cases for their work and for their commitment to freedom and justice.

Here are their names:

Salizhon Abdurahmanov, Mehriniso Hamdamova, Zulhumor Hamdamova, Isroiljon Kholdorov, Nasim Isakov, Gaibullo Jalilov, Abdurasul Khudoinazarov, Ganikhon Mamatkhanov, Zafar Rakhimov, Yuldash Rasulev, Dilmurod Sayyid , Agzam Turgunov, Chuyan Mamatkulov, Bobomurod Razzokov, Muhammad Begzhanov, Rukhiddin Fakhrutdinov, Khairullo Khamidov, Murod Djuraev, Matluba Karimov, Samandar Kukanov, Gayrat Mehliboev, Yusuf Ruzimurodov, Rustam Usmanov…

On September 19, at the 24th session of the UN Human Rights Council, representatives of international non-governmental organizations have raised questions about the persecutions and arbitrary arrests of human rights defenders, political prisoners and human rights violations in Uzbekistan. The representative of the Uzbek delegation Akmal Saidov denied them saying that “… in Uzbekistan there is no political persecution. People are attracted to criminal liability not for their beliefs, but for their concrete actions.” But we presented facts that refute Akmal Saidov’s words.

One of the most recent facts of the persecution against civil society is the arrest of independent journalist Sergey Naumov. Law enforcement agencies have arrested the journalist, human rights activist on September 21 at his home. The Urgench city court sentenced him to 12 days of prison “for disorderly conduct” on the grounds that he allegedly touched the stranger woman’s breast.

Sergey Naumov is one of the few independent journalists residing in Uzbekistan, and, putting his life at great risk, highlighting the problems of human rights violations in this closed country.

Dear Mr.Peterson!

We ask you voice the following questions during your meetings with Uzbek officials:

– Motivated prosecutions of civil society representatives for their work;

– Release of political prisoners, who have level one and level two disabilities;

– Release of political prisoners, whose age exceeds 65 years;

– Information about Turaboy Juraboev and Sergey Naumov, and meet with each of them if it is possible;

– Visit the penitentiary center UYa 64/71 as an independent observer

International Human Rights Association “Fiery Hearts Club” hopes that your visit to Uzbekistan will clarify the fate of our colleagues, who were persecuted by the authorities of the country for their professional activities.

We also hope that your interest in the problems of human rights, political prisoners and the civilian sector of Uzbekistan goes beyond your visit to the country. The countries of the Central Asian region enjoy tremendous geopolitical interest of world powers, and therefore, it has become a norm to apply double standards dealing with them. The policy of double standards only strengthens the authoritarian governments of the region.

In this regard, we consider it very important for the international community to become aware of the lawless situation of human rights defenders, rights advocates, civil society activists, and ordinary citizens of Uzbekistan.

Mutabar Tadjibayeva,

Head of the International Human Rights Association “Fiery Hearts Club”

September 24, 2013, France