Ozoda Yakubova, the wife of Uzbek human rights activist Agzam Farmonov, intends to appeal to the Supreme Court of Uzbekistan with a request to review the criminal case against her husband.

Ozoda Yakubova told Jarayon that two weeks ago she visited her husband in the colony. According to her, swellings have appeared on her husband’s hands and feet over the past two years, and now there are over twenty ones on his body.

Also Ozoda Yakubov said that this year her husband was refused to use the right to take an advantage of the amnesty announced in December 2013 due to fictional violations of internal regulations of the correctional facility.

– From 21 to 23 December, he went on a hunger strike since again he was illegally denied the right to take an advantage of the amnesty. It turns out that if prisoners go on hunger strikes, they are fed with a probe. But in his case, my husband ignored it. When one jailer asked him “Why are you doing this?” he replied “What am I supposed to do? To tell them they did a good thing? To thank them for that?” After my husband refused to sign the rule violations note, prison officials registered the case characterizing him as ‘a malign violator’. My husband told them: “I am not going to sign this document, if you want to force me do it, beat or torture me.” And they said to him: “Farmonov, when did we beat you? We will not do this, it does not depend on us, Farmonov, you understand everything, – said Ozoda Yakubova.

Agzam Farmonov, the Chairman of Syrdarya regional branch of the Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan, was arrested on 29 April 2006. In June 2006, Yangiyer city criminal court of Syrdarya region sentenced him to nine years of imprisonment for alleged extortion in accordance to Article 165 of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan.

Human rights activist Agzam Farmonov, kept in prison for eight years, has not been granted an amnesty like many other political prisoners in Uzbekistan. Each year, before announcement of the amnesty, the authorities practiced the method of accusing prisoners of alleged violations of the internal regulations of correctional institutions, and thereby prevent them from being amnestied. Agzam Farmonov is one of such prisoners, he is regularly mentioned by international human rights organizations as one of Uzbek political prisoners.

Currently Ozoda Yakubov said that due to the recent events related to her husband, she fears that a new criminal case may be initiated against her husband. Due to this anxiety, Ozoda Yakubova intends to apply to the Supreme Court of Uzbekistan with a request to review the case of her husband.

Mutabar Tadjibayeva, the Head of “Fiery Hearts Club” international human rights organization, has also asserted that the authorities may bring a new criminal case according to article 221 of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan (disobeying the rules of penitentiary institution administrations) prior to Agzam Farmonov’s release date.

– Jailers characterize inmates as malign violators not for nothing. First, jailers give such a description to those inmates, whose term they want to prolong, then they put their names on special lists, strengthen control over them, and later on bring criminal charges against them and as it is stipulated in the law, extend their prison terms for another three years.

Until today, several lawyers have worked on Agzam Farmonov’s case. However, the most surprising thing is that those lawyers, who agreed to protect his rights and work on cancellation of the decisions against him, kept disappearing after being paid fees for their work. In 2013, we had to terminate a contract with another lawyer, who had previously agreed to protect Agzam Farmonov’s rights, – said Tadjibayeva.

According to her, if the case of human rights activist Farmonov is not taken seriously, naturally his health status may worsen even due to the conditions he is kept in.

– The Uzbek authorities gave permissions to human rights activists to visit some political prisoners in the country’s prisons, but though Agzam Farmonov’s body is covered with swellings and it is unknown how dangerous it is to his health, the authorities do not provide any qualified medical care to him, which is very suspicious. Although enough time has passed since Alisher Karomatov, a “criminal accomplice” of Agzam Farmonov, was released. One of “the criminal accomplices”, imprisoned for committing the same crime, has been released, and the other one is still kept in Zhaslyq prison, – said Tadjibayeva. She added that she was very much happy when Alisher Karomatov was released, but at the same time she has a number of questions about the “sincerity of the authorities”, which treat Agzam Farmonov very much differently.

Alisher Karomatov, the head of the Human Rights Society of Mirzaobod district of Syrdarya province, was sentenced to nine years of imprisonment in 2006 following charges of extortion like Agzam Farmonov. Karomatov got a severe form of tuberculosis in the prison, and he was released in the spring of 2012.

Until today, local and international human rights organizations state that the criminal cases against these two human rights defenders were fabricated by the Uzbek authorities.

Asad BAIMURADOV