It became known that an amnesty was declared on 12 December 2013 in Uzbekistan on the occasion of the 21st anniversary of the Uzbek Constitution.

Several civil society activists were released from prisons at the end of the 2013 and the beginning of 2014, who were imprisoned based on fabricated and trumped-up charges.

However, according to local and international human rights activists, the authorities still keep thousands of people convicted on political and religious grounds in the most brutal colonies and prisons of the country.

In his interview with Jarayon, Talib Yakubov, the honorary president of the International Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan, who now resides in exile in France, speaks about the recently announced amnesty in Uzbekistan and the reasons why the government of Uzbekistan annually deprives many political prisoners of the possibility to use the right for amnesty.

Uzbekistan’s imprisoned independent journalist Dilmurod Sayid lost all hope of early release under an amnesty.

According to Obid Saidov, younger brother of Dilmurod Sayyid, he visited his brother on December 14 of last year in the colony in Karshi, where the journalist was transferred after receiving treatment in Sangorod (prison hospital UA 64 /18, located in Tashkent – “Jarayon”).

In a conversation with “Jarayon”, Obid Saidov said that his brother’s health was not in good shape.

In early December 2013, Gulnara Karimova, the Uzbek President’s eldest daughter, gave an interview to Turkish Hurriyet newspaper, in which she accused Uzbek human rights activist Mutabar Tadjibayeva of playing a significant role in a large criminal organization. At present, Tadjibayeva resides in France.

Following this, Tadjibayeva made a statement and demanded that “Hurriyet” and Gulnara Karimova make public apologies.Otherwise, the human rights activist threatened to sue Karimova and the newspaper as soon as possible in order to protect her honor, dignity and business reputation.

However, some time later, Gulnara Karimova thanked human rights activist Tadjibayeva on Twitter for assistance to free Greek citizen Yannis Galanos, her former employee.

This act of Gulnara Karimova has generated criticism from some Uzbek human rights defenders, journalists and oppositionists against Tadjibayeva.

75 -year-old rights activist Nabijon (Turaboy) Jurabaev, who was held in the colony number 64/34 (in Navoi city) under the Department of Corrections at the Interior Ministry of Uzbekistan, was released on December 29, 2013.

In an interview to “Jarayon”, Jurabaev said that he was released under an amnesty announced on the occasion of 22 anniversary of the Constitution of Uzbekistan.

“I am in good mood, everything is fine with my health. It turned out that I was the eldest prisoner in the colony. Both prison staff and inmates asked me with astonishment: “Father, why were you imprisoned?” It looks like I was destined to see those places too,” – said Nabijon Jurabaev in a phone conversation with “Jarayon”.

Greek citizen Janis Galanos, who was held for more than forty days at the Rehabilitation Center of the Department of Internal Affairs of Tashkent, is finally released.

As the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Uzbekistan informs, Galanos was deported to Greece on December 24 at 12.10 pm via a flight “Tashkent-Istanbul- Athens” according to the certificate issued by the Italian Embassy in Tashkent that allows him to return to Greece.

Family members of Greek citizen Yanis Galanos, who has been in custody for forty days and was allegedly subjected to torture by the Uzbek security services, addressed Mutabar Tadjibayeva, the head of Fiery Hearts Club international human rights organization, asking to defend him.

During conversation with Uzbek human rights activist living in Paris, family members of 31-year-old Yanis Galanos said that they do not have information yet about his whereabouts. According to them, the lawyer they hired to defend him has been unable to meet with him. When detained, Yanis did not have items of warm clothing. His family members do not know what state he is in today.