Category Archives: COALITION FOR MUTABAR

Handing Engel – du Tertre (Award of ACAT Foundation to Madam Mutabar Tadjibayeva)

Dear friends,

I am excited that a 40-year anniversary of our organization ACAT Foundation is enlightened by this moment full of excitement, happiness and unforgettable emotions.

During our recent Board meeting we have decided to establish an award for the work in the field of human rights protection… but we were faced by a dilemma of coming up with a proper name for this award. On the eve of a 40-year anniversary of our organization we have been thinking about two Protestant women – Hélène Engel and Édith du Tertre who founded ACAT.  Without their efforts we couldn’t have been here today! (I am indeed happy to tell you that today several family members of Hélène Engel and Édith du Tertre are also attending this event). As a tribute to the courage and faith of those two women we decided to name the new award we were establishing Engel – du Tertre Award.

Fearing growing religiosity of the population, the Uzbek security services have started controlling private gatherings of citizens

Many Muslims of Uzbekistan have been prosecuted after attending private gatherings of their friends.

I would like to begin our story with the recent case of Uzbek refugee Mirsobir Khamidkariev, who was kidnapped in Moscow in early June 2014. I would remind that this person asked for asylum in Russia as since 2011 the Uzbek Government had internationally searched for him.

Mutabar Tadjibayeva: We can stop political repressions in Uzbekistan

Actions by Christians against Torture, a human rights organization based in France, conducted a prize presentation ceremony on 15 November 2014 in Paris to give its prestigious award to Mutabar Tadjibayeva, the head of “Fiery Hearts Club” International Human Rights Organization,for human rights protection achievements.

On the eve of this event, “Jarayon” interviewed the human rights activist, who spoke about the award she received from Christians against Torture, positive changes and challengers in the field of human rights in Uzbekistan in 2014 as well as about her plans for the future.

Independent journalist Dilmurod Sayid was told about his mother’s death a month after her decease

Obidzhon Saidov told Jarayon that he visited his elder brother Dilmurod Sayidin the prison in Karshi on 8 November 2014.

“On 8-9 November I was visiting my brother in the prison in Karshi. We did not have time to sleep as we talked until dawn. He looked so-so, sometimes he coughed. He said he had a little cold. He is depressed. My brother asked me to thank everybody, who struggle for his release. He expressed his greatest gratitude to human rights activist Mutabar Tadjibayeva.

Dilmurod told me: ‘If, God willing, I am freed from the prison, first of all I’ll go to the cemetery to pay honor in the memory of my mother, wife and daughter. After that, my first duty will be to visit this precious woman,’” said Obidzhon Saidov.

Mirsobir Khamidkariev asserted Russian secret services were involved into his abduction

He said that to his lawyer Illarion Vasiliyev in Tashkent courtroom.

Our website reported in late October that the Uzbek court agreed to allow Russian lawyer Illarion Vasiliyev to access Mirsobir Khamidkariev’s case. In early November, the journalists of our website received a letter from lawyer Vasiliyev in which he reported about his arrival in Tashkent to attend Mirsobir Khamidkariev’s case.

“I saw Mirsobir, the judge allowed us to communicated in the courtroom. The judge’s attitude to Mirsobir is positive. The process, according to his lawyer, proceeds softly. It is not a high-profile case here. The charge against him is based on article 216 (organizing illegal public associations and religious organizations) and articles 244-2 (creation, management and participation in religious extremist, separatist, fundamentalist or other banned organizations) of the Uzbek Criminal Code. The crime according to article 244-2 is a serious one, it should be removed. Nobody, including his relatives, is aware of things Mirsobir told me about in the courtroom,” said lawyer Illarion Vasiliyev.

France-Uzbekistan: Secret meeting between French and Uzbek Foreign Affairs ministers

Today and tomorrow, the Uzbek Minister of Foreign Affairs should meet discreetly Laurent Fabius, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well French Senate and National Assembly members. 

No information has been released on the official agenda of the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, or on the other French political institutions’. ACAT and the Association for Human Rights in Central Asia found out about this meeting only on the official agenda of the Uzbek Ministry. It reveals that an Uzbek delegation led by Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulaziz Kamilov should meet his French counterpart, some members of the Senate and the National Assembly, as well as business representatives. Only International Medef, the French Business Confederation, announced this meeting.

Photo portraits and documents of human rights activist Mutabar Tadjibayeva displayed in New York photo exhibition

On 3 November, a photo exposition was launched in New York, which displays portraits and documents of Mutabar Tadjibayeva, a prominent Uzbek human rights defender and the head of Fiery Hearts Club International Human Rights Organization.

The photo exposition titled “Moving Walls/Watching You, Watching Me” shows works of 10 photographers, who specialize on human rights issues.

Portraits of Uzbek human rights defender Mutabar Tadjibayeva were made by Swiss photographer Marie Bastashevski, who also cooperates with funds providing Internet security consulting.

The Uzbek court agreed to allow Russian lawyer to access the case of Mirsobir Khamidkariev

On 21 October, Illarion Vasiliyev, Russian lawyer of Uzbek refugee Mirsobir Khamidkariev, who was kidnapped this summer in Moscow, told “Jarayon”that the Uzbek court agreed to allow him to access Mirsobir Khamidkariev’s case.

“The judge has agreed to allow me to access Khamidkariev’s case. I’m going to fly to Tashkent in the near future to participate in the court sessions,” said lawyer Vasiliyev.

Bobomurod Razzokov: I tried to overcome the disease

Bobomurod Razzokov state of health has sharply deteriorated in the prison.

The public got to know that from Bobomurod Razzokov’s letter to his eldest son Shukhrat. In his letter, Razzokov mentioned that he badly suffers from the renal, liver and heart failures.

The human rights activist’s son passed the letter to “Ezgulik” representatives.

Mutabar Tadjibayeva was the first winner of the prestigious Actions by Christians against Torture award

France-based ACAT human rights organization awarded Mutabar Tadjibayeva, the head of Fiery Hearts Club International Human Rights Organization, with the prestigious Engel-Tertre award.

ACAT informed Tadjibayeva about this on Wednesday, 15 October.

“We congratulate you for your courage and determination, please accept my best wishes,” – Francois Walter, the chairman of the ACAT Foundation, wrote in the letter addressed to the human rights activist.

The award ceremony will be held on 15 November 2014 within the framework of the event in the Paris Catholic Institute. The prize includes a cash award.