Kidnappings of women have become more frequent in the city of Osh. The victims are ethnic Uzbeks, and are kidnapped in order to extract a ransom or to be defiled. Human rights activist Ravshan Gapirov, who heads the Osh human rights centre ‘Justice-Truth’, has told us of two such kidnappings.
 | Zulunova Iroda was kidnapped from the street by her home on December 9 2010, approximately at 8:30. Her date of birth is 01.08.1994. She is married. We know the address where she is located. Relatives noticed her disappearance almost immediately and searched until they located her. December 12, approximately at 1430, Iroda phoned her mother from the town of Aravan, where she had been brought in a white automobile. Iroda’s mental state is critical. She is scared, and feels alarmed all the time. |
Iroda said that she was kidnapped by two men and one woman of approximately 40 years, the woman looked like a Kyrgyz. The kidnapping took place in the following way: a car drove up to Iroda with a woman inside, she called Iroda over. Iroda approached, feeling no fear at all, and was sprayed in the face with an unknown substance, whereupon she lost consciousness.
Iroda cannot tell where she was held or for how long. She was savagely beaten, by the woman especially, and was forced to take unknown medicines. Iroda has a bruise on her head, her shoulders have marks from a beating, there are knife wounds on her neck. Iroda says she was transported for a long time, she could hear the sound of water.
Nigora Maksudova was kidnapped October 30, 2010. She lives in Osh, on K. Datka Street. A few hours later she was found in a bad state in the suburb of Manas.
We know of other kidnappings of Uzbek women in November: one went missing from the territory of the merchandise market, another in the Shahid-tepe area, a third on Amur Timur Street. All of them ask not to be named, as they fear retribution from the kidnappers.
All these events took place in different parts of Osh, but rumours travel fast in the town. So far none of these events have led to a criminal investigation. Victims do not want any publicity and are even afraid to go to the hospital.
Association for Human Rights in Central Asia
