Dear reader!

On April 12, 2012, Yves Daccord, director general of the International Committee of the Red Cross, posted on his Twitter page the news that the committee stopped its work in Uzbek prisons.

Daccord said that the leadership of the committee came to this decision because of the unconstructive attitude of the Uzbek authorities.

Previously, members of this prestigious international organization has met with many of the prisoners in the jails of Uzbekistan, and tried to solve their problems. Of course, this process has not always been easy.

In this regard, “Jarayon” begins publishing a series of materials received from relatives of prisoners, as well as from former prisoners who met in Uzbek prisons with representatives of the Red Cross.

Perhaps these articles will help our readers better understand the reasons for the refusal of ICRC to visit prisons in Uzbekistan…

Bakhtiyar Khamraev, known Uzbek human rights activist, passed away on May 4 after a long lasting illness. The history of his work and his disease can tell about a whole era – about the nature and characteristics of the authoritarian regime in Uzbekistan, the thinking and behavior of Islam Karimov concerning human rights and civil society.

Authoritarianism in Uzbekistan has a clear strategy of exclusion, marginalization and elimination the opposition and civil society in Uzbek society. In this case, the liquidation does not mean a direct physical removal of the activist, but also a systematic and coordinated public policy, in which, the independent and opposition representative in civil society will be forced to either cease activities or the authorities will do anything to put a man out law.

Dear friends, colleagues at the International Federation for Human Rights!

Today, we are writing to you on the sad occasion – Bakhtiyar Khamraev, our close friend in Uzbekistan, a courageous and tireless human rights activist, known to many of you in our common seminars and trips, died on May 4.

FIDH, like many other human rights activists, both Uzbek and international, owe so much to this wonderful and very humble man. Until his last day, even when chained to the bed by brutal and painful illness, he continued helping others – human rights activists in custody and their families, calling them, and when he could – visiting them regularly and sharing with international organizations the information, hardly available from abroad, about the conditions of imprisoned colleagues, about the legal aspects of their protection and the needs of their families – without him our help to dozens of human rights defenders and their relatives would be impossible. His integrity and honesty were the best guarantee that the aid reaches those, who really were in need.

www.frontlinedefenders.org/donate

Bahtiyor Hamraev has been a dedicated campaigner for human rights in Uzbekistan for the last 15 years. He has been head of the Djizak regional branch of the Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan (HRSU) and has documented human rights violations in this region.

In recent years he has become the main contact with families of imprisoned human rights defenders, helping to spread the information about their conditions in detention, the torture and ill-treatment and helping to provide the families with legal aid and financial assistance.

Finalists for 2013 Front Line Defenders Award for human rights defenders at risk

The selection of the finalists for the 2013 Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk has now taken place and the overall winner will be chosen by an independent jury of cross-party Ministers, Parliamentarians and Members of the European Parliament. Having read the 90 nominations- and seen the quality and dedicated commitment of the human rights defenders – it is clear that so many would be a worthy finalist or winner and how impossible the task for the decision makers is. To all who were nominated, let me say on behalf or Front Line Defenders how much you inspire us and how much we value your unrelenting work for the rights of others. If you need support at any time, please contact us.

Many Uzbek farmers complain that they are forced to find work in neighboring countries, as they cannot find justice at home.

“Jarayon” had a chance to interview Uzbek farmer Iskandar, from Uchkoprik district of Ferghana region, who is currently working in Russia.

“First of all, necessity makes to go for this. On the other hand, it has become very hard to make a living doing farming nowadays. It is because farmers are not masters of their crop. My neighbors, who took the land to start farming, constantly complain.

On April 30, Ravshan Mutalibov, deputy chairman of the Society of Uzbeks of Khatlon, was arrested at the airport of Krasnodar, Russia, on charges of drug smuggling. His boss Salim Shamsiddinov, chairman of the Society of Uzbeks, went missing in mid-March of this year.

Chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Tajikistan, Rahmatullo Zoirov, told about activist’s arrest in Russia on his Facebook page.

Front Line Defenders has launched a new advertising campaign to highlight “Stories of Courage” a series of 6 short films on the life and work of the 6 finalists for the Front Line Defenders Award 2013. Each of these 6 finalists from Iran, Cambodia, Kenya, Uzbekistan, Colombia and Mauritania has dedicated their lives to defending the rights of others
without thinking of the risks they themselves might face.

Employees of several state organizations in Tashkent complain that their leadership is forcing them to learn English at their own expense.

Nilufar (name changed for source’s safety), who works at the Children’s Dental Clinic #2 in Tashkent, told to “Jarayon” the following:

– During a recent meeting, the chief doctor of the clinic said to all employees that we must learn English language for dentists. However, the most outrageous thing in this order is that doctors must learn the language at their own expense, as the management of the clinic is not going to provide the employees any financial assistance for learning English. Our doctors give “shares” to the chief doctor from their salary every month… Moreover, prices are rising, today it is very hard to support the family. And now we will have to spend money from our own pocket to learn English language, – says the doctor.

On April 19, 2012, Uzbek authorities released the famous writer Mamadali Makhmudov from prison. The writer, familiar to readers under the pseudonym Evril Turon, for many years leaded the list of Uzbek political prisoners.

Wife of the writer, Gulsara Makhmudova, also confirmed the news about the release of the political prisoner, which has been published by many online media covering events in Uzbekistan.

Eager to ask many questions, “Jarayon” called Mamadali Mahmudov, but the interview did not happen as the writer was having a rest at home.