On October 3, 2013, due to his ill health, journalist Solijon Abdurakhmanov was transferred from Karshi prison #64/51 to “Sangorod” (medical facility for prisoners) in Tashkent.

On Thursday, October 17, Solijon Abdurahmanov’s relatives went to the prison hospital UYa 64/18 (colloquially called “Sangorod”) to meet with him and pass him parcel. However, the prison administration informed the relatives that Solijon Abdurahmanov had been placed in solitary confinement for 15 days and would stay there until November 1.

Shukurjon Abdurahmanova, Solijonov Abdurahmanov’s wife, told about this on October 17 to the head of the International Human Rights Association “Fiery Hearts Club”, Mutabar Tadjibayeva.

– I beg you, stop all actions to protect my husband. Because, the more you protect, the more his is tortured. If you don’t want to hurt Solijon, do not mention his name anyware, – told Shukurjon Abdurahmanova in a phone conversation with Mutabar Tadjibayeva, unable to keep the tears.

According Shukurjon Abdurahmonova, the prison administration did not allow the relatives to meet with her husband. They were also not able to pass parcel with food and drugs that were so necessary to the journalist suffering from a stomach ulcer.

Mutabar Tadjibayeva believes that it is inhuman placing Solijon Abdurahmanov in a punishment cell, because his long-time stomach ulcer had been worsening and he urgently needs a surgery.

– According to the internal rules of penitentiary facilities, before placing a prisoner in solitary confinement, chief medical officer must personally inspect him and give an expert opinion on his condition, and if healthy sign a document allowing to placing him in a punishment cell. Only after that the prison administration can put an inmate in solitary confinement. In the colonies and prisons in Uzbekistan, because of lack of high-quality food, prisoners often go hungry and as a result suffer from gastrointestinal diseases. And in a punishment cell the situation is even worse. There prisoner is fed only three times a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The rest of the time he is given no water, no bread, nothing at all.

In a punishment cell, the prisoner is forced to wake up every day at 5:00 am. After the prisoner wakes up, guards fold the iron bed, put it against the wall and lock it. In addition, punishment cells always have too much moisture. Each punishment cell has one iron chair, and during the day the guards do not allow the prisoner to lie down for at least five minutes. The toilet is located inside the cell. Prisoners can wash their hands and face only using the water that flows from a pipe of the toilet. During the day, they are taken out only once, early in the morning, to wash their face and hands. Prisoners in the punishment cell have to sit there only in thin clothes. They are allowed to wear warm clothes only in case it is too cold outside. Special inspection of convicts held in a punishment cell happens twice a day. Even in the case of illness they are not given any medical care.

These days Solijon Abdurahmanov, who is suffering from a gastric ulcer, is contained in such conditions. A member of his family strongly asks us not to publicize his case, forget the name of Solijon Abdurahmanov. But this once again proves that today we must struggle hard to raise the alarm and call the authorities to release Solijon Abdurahmanov. If we do not do this, tomorrow it will be too late, – says Uzbek human rights activist Mutabar Tadjibayeva.

According to Mutabar Tadjibayeva, the Uzbek authorities are charging the journalist and human rights activist Solijon Abdurahmanov with fabricated violations of the internal order of the prison, so that he would unfit for forthcoming countrywide amnesty campaign.

63-year-old journalist Solijon Abdurahmanov worked as a journalist for Uznews.net, and was also involved in human rights activities. He was arrested and charged with possession and distribution of drugs on a large scale in 2008 in Nukus city, capital of the autonomous republic of Karakalpakstan.

Despite the fact that Solijon Abdurahmanov’s guilt was not proved in the court, the Uzbek justice sentenced him to 10 years in prison. Reputable international human rights organizations claim that the case against the journalist was fabricated.

To this day, administration of Karshi prison, where Solijon Abdurahmanov is kept, charges the journalist with various fabricated violations of internal order and several times put him in a punishment cell. Thus, for several years the Uzbek authorities have been keeping him from amnesty.

On October 8, 2013, Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan “Ezgulik” issued a press release stating that transferal of Solijon Abdurahmanov from one prison to another happened due to the intervention of U.S. senators in the case of Uzbek political prisoners.

Earlier in June, twelve influential members of the U.S. Senate wrote a letter to Islam Karimov, long lasting president of Uzbekistan, where they expressed their concern about fate of the three political prisoners – a human rights activist Agzam Turgunov, a journalist from Karakalpakstan Solijon Abdurahmanov, and a journalist from Tashkent Dilmurod Sayyid – who were sentenced to long terms of imprisonment.

Editorial of “Jarayon”