A protest action will be held on July 4 in the Austrian capital Vienna in the memory of all victims of torture and political repression in Uzbekistan. The event was organized by Mutabar Tadjibayeva, the head of “Fiery Hearts Club” International Human Rights Organization.

The event titled “Who is to blame? Who is next” will be conducted in the framework of the OSCE Conference on Freedom of Expression in Vienna.

Uzbek human rights activist Mutabar Tadjibayeva, who heads the Paris-based “Fiery Hearts Club” International Human Rights Organization, will organize the given protest action as well as the following groups and programs operating under the organization: the student movement “Fiery Hearts”,the initiative group “For life without torture” and the Committee to protect rights of migrants. Also, the International Coalition “1000 Women for Peace” will be one of the organizers of the event.

According to the organizers, the protest was dedicated to the memory of Abdurasul Khudoinazarov, the Uzbek human rights activist and leader of Angren branch of “Ezgulik” human rights society, who passed away 25 days after his release from prison in Uzbekistan.

“Our colleague Abdurasul Khudoinazarov was kept in prison based on false charges for 8 years and 10 months. He died on June 26, 2014 as a result of severe illnesses developed as a result of torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in an Uzbek prison. Also, our action was dedicated to thousands of religious and political prisoners in Uzbek prisons, and victims of torture, kidnapping, illegal extraditions and murdersof the Uzbek security services,” Tadjibayeva told “Jarayon”.

We would remind that 58-year-old Uzbek human rights activist Abdurasul Khudoinazarov died on June 26, the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. He was released from prison on May 30, 2014. Immediately after leaving the colony, Khudoinazarov was taken to the cancer hospital in Tashkent province. Doctors discovered that he had cancer, tuberculosis, adenoma, prostatitis and acute hemorrhoids. In the last days of his life, hishealth was extremely poor. In prison, the human rights activist appealed to the prison authorities with a request for medical assistance, but his requests were ignored.

“Relatives of Abdurasul Khudoinazarov say that when he died, his eyes were open. We believe that Khudoinazarovwas always concerned and anxious about fates of hundreds, and perhaps thousands of people in Uzbekistan, who experience similar fate like he did, that was why after his eyes remained open when he passed away. Today we wear some pieces of Uzbek national clothes – Uzbek national men’s belt and skullcap, which Uzbeks use in the days of mourning.

We put them on in the memory of our colleague Abdurasul Khudoinazarov and all victims of human rights violations in Uzbekistan. The Uzbek national belt also symbolizes commitment and courage to face challenges and difficulties. During this campaign, we call all concerned people to say “No” to ongoing violations of human rights in Uzbekistan,” said human rights activist Tadjibayeva.

In addition, paintings of Kazakh civil society activist and artist Kanat Ibragimovwere presentedduring this protest action, who has his own vision of faces of Uzbek President Islam Karimov, Akmal Saidov, the Director of the Human Rights Center of Uzbekistan,and a number of human rights defenders and civil society activists, victims of unjustified repressions in Uzbekistan.

Sofia DAVRONOVA