An Uzbek refugee, residing in one of the European countries, told Jarayon that all reports about Mekhriniso Khamdamova’s death, a Muslim from Kashkadarya, were false.

FALSE REPORTS ABOUT KHAMDAMOVA’S DEATH

A Jarayon journalist was told that Mekhriniso Khamdamova, a female Muslim from Kashkadaryo, died in a prison at the end of January 2014 by Gulshan Karaeva, a human rights activist from Karshi. A few days later some independent websites covering events in Uzbekistan offered condolences over Mekhriniso Khamdamova’s death.

“Recently I met a lady, who lives in the makhallya (an Uzbek neighborhood – Jarayon’s note), where Mekhriniso Khamdamova’s family lives. According to this lady, rumors circulated in the makhallya that Khamdamova died in a prison, that the prison administration allegedly informed her relatives about her death, but the family could not come to the prison to collect the body of the deceased, therefore jailers buried Khamdamova in a common cemetery by themselves. But my interlocutor added that these are only rumors. Unfortunately I was not able to go to the makhallya, where the Mekhriniso Khamdamova’s family resides to clarify whether these rumors are true,” said Gulshan Karayeva.

Also the human rights activist added that after Khamdamova’s trial, her daughter Latofat Orzikulova said that her mother had breast cancer.

“After Mekhriniso Khamdamova was imprisoned, her daughter Latofat told me that her mother had breast cancer, and that her health status in the colony can greatly deteriorate. “My mother can die in the prison, we need to get her released as soon as possible,” Khamdamova’s daughter told me, but then she disappeared and did not talk to me anymore,” Gulshan Karayeva told Jarayon.

ARREST OF “VERY DANGEROUS CRIMINAL”

Mekhriniso Khamdamova, a Muslim from Kashkadaryo, graduated from the specialized secondary religious school named after Haja Bukhory in Kitab in 2006. Then she attended a special course on Islamic Studies in 2007. Sometime later, following a recommendation of Mufti Usmonkhon Alimov, the chairman of the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, and Sh. Karomova, the senior officer from the Women Department of Kashkadarya province, Khamdamova was appointed to Karshi mosque titled ‘Kuk Gumbaz’ to work with women and young people as the lady dealt with problems arising in makhallyas.

In November 2009, there were mass arrests of female believers in Karshi, about 30 Muslim women were arrested by Kashkadarya law enforcement body and the national security service. Mekhriniso Khamdamova was among the detained female Muslims.

Khamdamova’s daughter Latofat Orzikulova told journalists on November 5, 2009 that several employees of the Uzbek police and security services detained Khamdamova as if she were a very dangerous criminal.

Later, Surat Ikramov, the head of the Initiative Group of Independent Human Rights Activists of Uzbekistan, told reporters that among the detained female Muslim, there were many relatives, sisters and nieces of Mekhriniso Khamdamova, who worked at the mosque.

On April 12, 2010, Kashkadarya Criminal Court sentenced three Muslim ladies, including Mekhriniso Khamdamova, to long terms of imprisonment for “encroachment on constitution” and “threat to public order”. Mekhriniso Khamdamova was sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment, her sister Zulkhumor Khamdamova and her cousin Shakhlo Rakhmatova were sentences to 6.5 years in colony.

Later, some of the detained women managed to get released and leave the country. One of the ladies told Jarayon in 2009 that during the arrests, law enforcers of Uzbekistan used severe psychological and physical tortures on the detained women to obtain evidences against Mekhriniso Khamdamova.

“We were raped, beaten, forced to drink vodka and eat pork fat, which is forbidden in Islam, we gave evidences against Mekhriniso Khamdamova,” then a young Muslim told Jarayon.

MEKHRINISO KHAMDAMOVA NEEDS SURGERY

On Saturday, February 1, 2014, the Jarayon journalist managed to get in touch with one of the Uzbek refugees, who currently resides in one of the European countries and knows Mekhriniso Khamdamova’s family well. He denied all allegations that Khamdamova died in prison.

“All these are rumors. Yesterday, I talked with Mekhriniso Khamdamova’s family members. They said that on January 18, 2014 they went to jail for a two-day meeting with her. She is alive,” said the Uzbek refugee.

However, he said that the health status of Mekhriniso Khamdamova is not good, and she urgently needs a surgery.

“Her relatives said that prior to the imprisonment, Mekhriniso Khamdamova really had a tumor in her breast, but in prison it resolved. Now doctors discovered she had a hysteromyoma. Now Mekhriniso Khamdamova’s health status is not good, she is not well. Her family members have talked to Tashkent oncologists, and now are looking for money for a surgery. Her relatives said that she will be operated this February,” the Uzbek refugee told Jarayon.

According to him, Zulkhumor Khamdamova, Mekhriniso Khamdamova’s sister, is serving sentence in the same prison. The Uzbek refugee added that Zulkhumor Khamdamova has always been a good seamstress, and according to relatives, she is treated well in the prison.

Local and international human rights organizations always mentioned Mekhriniso and Zulkhumor Khamdamova as convicted prisoners of Uzbekistan, who have been wrongfully imprisoned based on trumped up charges of the authorities, and they still continue serving in Uzbek prisons.

Sofia DAVRONOVA