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Pahlavon Turgunov - Uzbek

Reporter's Story

This radio series is different to other human rights projects I've worked on because of its educational aspect. For these radio programmes, I interviewed activists and experts on human rights.

They explained what is considered torture; what international laws say about torture and about living conditions and what local laws say, and what the government does. I used to not discuss the legal aspect in human rights cases but nowadays I do.

Article 5: No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Prison Conditions

I tried to build a picture of prison conditions in Uzbekistan. In Samarkand and Jizzakh, I met former prisoners who had been sentenced to long prison terms but were released after contracting tuberculosis in jail. There are many cases of TB in Uzbek prisons but there are no official figures.

Torture, among prisoners by their captors, is also a problem. Former prisoners are not keen to talk about this because it could be dangerous for them.

One man, Habibullo from the Jizzakh region, was accused of having been a member of the banned Islamic Organisation Hezb-e Tahrir. I visited his home with a human rights activist to try to talk to his family; his mother did not want to discuss torture.

I met him in the hospital. He was jailed in 2000. He has TB and can't talk for more than two minutes. When he was imprisoned he weighed 80kg. Nowadays, he weighs about 35kg. He said he was tortured by prison officials, beaten. He said he was forced to sit in areas that had no roof, under the sun and was deprived of water and food. During interrogation he was forced to accept charges about his anti-constitutional activities.

Eighty five percent of Uzbekistan's population is Muslim. Habibullo describes himself as a peaceful Muslim; not involved in Islamic fundamentalism. He says he was convicted because of his beliefs and because he allegedly belongs to the Muslim opposition.

He went to trial but claims it wasn't fair. The judge did not ask his view about the charges nor were witnesses called to give their testimonies.

According to local human rights organisations, there are about 7,000 religious and political prisoners in Uzbekistan.

Human Rights Record

In September 2002, two alleged members of Hezb-e Tahrir, who were imprisoned in a big prison called Jaslik, died. Their families were asked to retrieve the bodies. The US State Department and Human Rights Watch described them as peaceful Muslims. Recently the European Union asked the Uzbek government to organise an investigation into this particular case.

I met another former prisoner in a hospital in the Ferghana Valley, in eastern Uzbekistan. Muhammad Jon was accused of being a member of a banned Islamic group and had been sentenced to 20 years in jail. Because of TB, he was released in March 2002 just before President Islam Karimov's visit to America.

When I went to the hospital to visit Muhammad, I was stopped by the nurse. As she couldn't find the head of the hospital, the nurse asked to be present during the interview. She asked, "What kind of questions will you ask him?"

Despite her presence, Muhammad told me everything about the prison. She was going to give a report of the interview to either the head of the hospital, the security services or the police. The life of these former prisoners is still in danger. There is no guarantee - they could go to prison again.

Muhammad was arrested and charged because of his beliefs. In 1991, the government began a campaign against political opposition. There was no chance to hold meetings or speak against it. Mosques became the place where people could gather. The underground religious opposition began to form.

Article 19: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Making a Difference

In 2001, Yevgeniy Diakonov, a journalist and a human rights activist with the Mazlum human rights group, created the first website on Uzbek prisons. He is Russian. Several months after the website was launched the Uzbek officials closed the site.

Recently he managed to relaunch the site but he's having problems with obtaining resources. The website has lots of stories about the condition of the prisons. Even prisoners, who are still in prison, send their own letters to the website. They speak openly about the situation inside.

Protest and Trial

After September 11th, Uzbekistan became a very important ally of the US in the fight against terrorism. US forces use Uzbek bases against the Taleban. The Uzbek President, Islam Karimov, promised to do something about human rights in his country but there have been no significant changes.

In March 2002, Karimov travelled to Washington on his first official visit. Recently the Uzbek government has accepted that there are some human rights problems.

In mid 2002, there was a trial against police officers in Tashkent who tortured an alleged member of an Islamic group. He died as a result of the torture. Four police officers were sentenced to 7 to10 years in prison. This was the first ever trial to stop torture. It's a positive development.

In July 2002, the Islamic group Hezb-e Tahrir, in London, organised a demonstration in front of the Uzbek Embassy in London. They called for an end to the use of torture against Muslims and prisoners in Uzbekistan.

	Other Producers: Bengali Burmese French for Africa Indonesian Pashto Persian Portuguese for Africa Sinhala Somali Uzbek 成人快手 Sites: External Sites: The 成人快手 is not responsible for the content of external internet sites		Pahlavon Turgunov - Uzbek Reporter's Story This radio series is different to other human rights projects I've worked on because of its educational aspect. For these radio programmes, I interviewed activists and experts on human rights. They explained what is considered torture; what international laws say about torture and about living conditions and what local laws say, and what the government does. I used to not discuss the legal aspect in human rights cases but nowadays I do. Article 5: No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Prison Conditions I tried to build a picture of prison conditions in Uzbekistan. In Samarkand and Jizzakh, I met former prisoners who had been sentenced to long prison terms but were released after contracting tuberculosis in jail. There are many cases of TB in Uzbek prisons but there are no official figures. Torture, among prisoners by their captors, is also a problem. Former prisoners are not keen to talk about this because it could be dangerous for them. One man, Habibullo from the Jizzakh region, was accused of having been a member of the banned Islamic Organisation Hezb-e Tahrir. I visited his home with a human rights activist to try to talk to his family; his mother did not want to discuss torture. I met him in the hospital. He was jailed in 2000. He has TB and can't talk for more than two minutes. When he was imprisoned he weighed 80kg. Nowadays, he weighs about 35kg. He said he was tortured by prison officials, beaten. He said he was forced to sit in areas that had no roof, under the sun and was deprived of water and food. During interrogation he was forced to accept charges about his anti-constitutional activities. Eighty five percent of Uzbekistan's population is Muslim. Habibullo describes himself as a peaceful Muslim; not involved in Islamic fundamentalism. He says he was convicted because of his beliefs and because he allegedly belongs to the Muslim opposition. He went to trial but claims it wasn't fair. The judge did not ask his view about the charges nor were witnesses called to give their testimonies. According to local human rights organisations, there are about 7,000 religious and political prisoners in Uzbekistan. Human Rights Record In September 2002, two alleged members of Hezb-e Tahrir, who were imprisoned in a big prison called Jaslik, died. Their families were asked to retrieve the bodies. The US State Department and Human Rights Watch described them as peaceful Muslims. Recently the European Union asked the Uzbek government to organise an investigation into this particular case. I met another former prisoner in a hospital in the Ferghana Valley, in eastern Uzbekistan. Muhammad Jon was accused of being a member of a banned Islamic group and had been sentenced to 20 years in jail. Because of TB, he was released in March 2002 just before President Islam Karimov's visit to America. When I went to the hospital to visit Muhammad, I was stopped by the nurse. As she couldn't find the head of the hospital, the nurse asked to be present during the interview. She asked, "What kind of questions will you ask him?" Despite her presence, Muhammad told me everything about the prison. She was going to give a report of the interview to either the head of the hospital, the security services or the police. The life of these former prisoners is still in danger. There is no guarantee - they could go to prison again. Muhammad was arrested and charged because of his beliefs. In 1991, the government began a campaign against political opposition. There was no chance to hold meetings or speak against it. Mosques became the place where people could gather. The underground religious opposition began to form. Article 19: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. Making a Difference In 2001, Yevgeniy Diakonov, a journalist and a human rights activist with the Mazlum human rights group, created the first website on Uzbek prisons. He is Russian. Several months after the website was launched the Uzbek officials closed the site. Recently he managed to relaunch the site but he's having problems with obtaining resources. The website has lots of stories about the condition of the prisons. Even prisoners, who are still in prison, send their own letters to the website. They speak openly about the situation inside. Protest and Trial After September 11th, Uzbekistan became a very important ally of the US in the fight against terrorism. US forces use Uzbek bases against the Taleban. The Uzbek President, Islam Karimov, promised to do something about human rights in his country but there have been no significant changes. In March 2002, Karimov travelled to Washington on his first official visit. Recently the Uzbek government has accepted that there are some human rights problems. In mid 2002, there was a trial against police officers in Tashkent who tortured an alleged member of an Islamic group. He died as a result of the torture. Four police officers were sentenced to 7 to10 years in prison. This was the first ever trial to stop torture. It's a positive development. In July 2002, the Islamic group Hezb-e Tahrir, in London, organised a demonstration in front of the Uzbek Embassy in London. They called for an end to the use of torture against Muslims and prisoners in Uzbekistan.