Category Archives: Human Rights
Mutabar Tadjibayeva and Muhammad Bekzhan entered the “100 Information Heroes” list
For the first time ever International organization “Reporters without Borders” that promotes and defends freedom of information and freedom of the press has published a list of the hundred most active journalists, bloggers and human rights activists, who has made the largest contribution to public awareness.
The Paris-based international organization “Reporters without Borders” published a list of profiles of “100 Information Heroes” on the eve of World Press Freedom Day celebrated worldwide on May 3.
This list comprises the names of representatives from 65 countries of the world aged between 25 and 75, including two representatives from Uzbekistan: Mutabar Tadjibayeva, the head of Fiery Hearts Club International Human Rights Organization,and Muhammad Bekzhan, theimprisoned editor of “Erk” opposition newspaper.
Mutabar Tadjibayeva. Six years ago, Mutabar Tadjibayeva was fighting for her life in an Uzbek prison. While jailed from October 2005 to June 2008, this independent journalist and human rights right defender spent more than 100 days in solitary and was subjected to monstrous forms of mistreatment for refusing to sign a confession. Her crime? Documenting human rights violations by the Uzbek authorities for several years, defending their victims and, above all, investigating the 2005 Andijane vents, in which hundreds of innocent people died.
Freed in 2008 after being given the Martin Ennals Award, she now lives in France. Despite a new smear campaign, she has not lost any of her combativeness, running an NGO called the “Fiery Hearts Club”, which has launched the news site Jarayon. Using a vast network of citizen-journalists and local activists, this trilingual site is one of the few sources of independent information about Uzbekistan and its neighbors.
Pressure on believers is increasing in Osh
Last month, the Kyrgyz State National Security Service detained about 10 people in the city of Osh, who are suspected of departure for Syria to implement jihad and involvement in terrorist groups.
According to information circulated by the Kyrgyz State National Security Committee, most of the detainees are suspected of involvement in fighting on the side of antigovernment forces in Syria, who after return to Osh callpeople to jihad.
“We are believers, not jihadists.”
According to some residents of Osh, these days the local authorities have increased pressure on ordinary believers under the pretext of detention of members of different terrorist groups.
Solidzhon Abdurakhmanov was not allowed to see his son
Journalist Solidzhon Abdurakhmanov, kept in the prison in Karshi, was not allowed to see his son Davron, who came to the prison for a short visit.
That was reported to Jarayon by the journalist’s spouse Shukurzhon Abdurakhmanova.
According to her, the prison officials issued permission for Davron to visit his father, who arrived to the Karshi prison. The father and the son were brought into the visiting room and they saw each other on the two sides of the mirror. However, the prison staff took Solidzhon Abdurakhmanov out of the room before the father and the son even managed to take their seats at the phones to talk to each other.
UN creates red tape in regard to Erkin Musayev’s case
Aidzhon Musayev, the father of former Uzbekistan Defense Ministry employee Erkin Musayev, applied to “Fiery Hearts Club” International Human Rights Organization with a complaint asserting that in fact UN decisions made regarding his son’s case do not work.
“There are two UN decisions made regarding the case of my son. These decisions of the Working Group of the UN Committee on Human Rights were made in May 2008 and March 2012. The local authorities still ignore these two documents. On the basis of these UN resolutions, we appealed to the Presidential Administration, the Prosecutor General, the Supreme Court and other relevant authorities of Uzbekistan to reconsider my son’s case and bring a fair verdict. However, unfortunately there is nothing substantial in the responses we received from these bodies,” Aidzhon Musayev told “Jarayon”.
Kyrgyz security services officers are accused of murdering Pavlyuk, killers of Saipov are not imprisoned yet
In Kyrgyzstan, two special services officers were arrested and taken to a detention center as suspected of complicity in the murder of journalist Gennady Pavlyuk.
This was reported on April 8, 2014 by the Kyrgyz service of Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty with reference to the press service of the Prosecutor General of Kyrgyzstan.
According to the Kyrgyz Prosecutor General’s Office, their counterparts from Kazakhstan sent the criminal case to Bishkek on April 5 in regard to staff of the Kyrgyzstan State National Security Committee. They are accused by the Kazakh authorities regarding the case of murdered journalist Gennady Pavlyuk.
Dilmurod Sayid expected early release or transfer to penal colony
Relatives of jailed independent journalist Dilmurod Sayid told Jarayon that people from above prevent his release.
They also provided “Jarayon”with a scanned version of his letters and poems, which he addressed to his friends and colleagues at large. The letter and poems were written on February 2014, but reached his relatives after a while.
Obid Saidov, Dilmurod Sayid’s younger brother, told Jarayon on 5 April that one of his brother’s friends delivered him the letter and poems.
The new criminal case against human rights defender Ganikhon Mamatkhonov should be stopped, he should be immediately released.
The new criminal case against human rights defender Ganikhon Mamatkhonov should be stopped, he should be immediately released.
By this joint statement, Fiery Hearts Club International Human Rights Organization (France) and Ezgulik Human Rights Society (Uzbekistan) express a deep concern about the fate of famous Uzbek human rights defender Ganikhon Mamatkhonov.
On the occasion of European Union – Uzbekistan dialogue
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are well aware that earlier this week Mr. Abdulaziz Kamilov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, attended the European Dialogue – Uzbekistan dialogue. We write to inform You on the serious, systematic and ongoing human rights violations of the Uzbek people, including the situation of civil society activists, religious prisoners, transparency and openness in the EU-Uzbekistan dialogue, the recent undemocratic initiatives of president Karimov to amend the Uzbek Constitution, and state-orchestrated forced labour of children and adults during annual cotton harvesting season and encourage You to urge the Uzbek government to sincerely address those issues.
Torture victims from Uzbekistan organized “For Life without Torture” initiative group
Uzbek human rights activists state that annually, hundreds of people become victims of torture, and most of them die in Uzbekistan’s prisons.
The initiative group “For Life without Torture” was organized following an initiative of three families, torture victims from Uzbekistan: the Tadjibayevs from France, the Ortikovs from the U.S.A and the Ruzievs from Holland.
The Group will operate under “Fiery Hearts Club” International Human Rights Organization. They timed the establishment of the group to 24 March, the International Day of the Right to Truth about Gross Human Rights Violations and Dignity of Victims.
Mutabar Tadjibayeva: Briefing on human rights situation in Uzbekistan
Presented to the EU – Uzbekistan meeting, Brussels, 14 March 2014.
The EU is preparing for the next series of discussions of the situation in Uzbekistan. International Association Human Rights“Fiery Hearts Club” takes this opportunity to analyze in this paper the current trends and development in the human rights situation of Uzbekistan, its relations with the European Union as well as draws the bloc’s attention to the major human rights problems and their solutions.
While focusing on the perspectives of human rights situation in Uzbekistan probably it will make a good entry point to mention that today human rights issue is perceived by the Uzbek authorities first of all as a political issue, the flow of which can have significant influence on the Uzbekistani internal and external politics.
