Uzbekistan: citizen of Russia Yuri Korepanov released from custody, but cannot leave Uzbekistan

Yuri Korepanov, a citizen of the Russian Federation convicted for 16 years in jail in Uzbekistan, has been released from custody, but he cannot leave for Russia. His documents are not issued.

29 June 2011 Yuri Korepanov, who had been convicted to a 16 year prison term on the 11th of January 2011 by the Military Tribunal of Uzbekistan, was released from the prison hospital. Over the past two months he has been staying at his relatives in Tashkent. He is not being issued a certificate of release from custody. Rated as a 2nd group disabled Korepanov is compelled to wait until the Uzbek services issue an identification document for him. The term for finishing this procedure is unknown. The sentence under his criminal case has not been cancelled.

Yuri Korepanov 

Yuri Korepanov was born on 20 March 1947 in village of Pokrovskoye of the Sverdlovskaya Province of the Russian Federation.

In 1967 he graduated with honours from the Tashkent Armour Command Officers’ School. He followed through a long career from a platoon commander of the cadets battalion to the battalion commander of the military officers’ school in Tashkent. He graduated from the Academy of Armour Troops named after the Soviet Union Marshal R.Y. Malinovski. After that he was transferred to Tashkent to the military education department of the Institute of Irrigation and Mechanisation of Agriculture of Uzbekistan. In 2002 he completed military service in the rank of a colonel in the position of the Head of the military education department of the same Institute. Pensioner of the Ministry of Defence of Russia, he was awarded with numerous orders and medals of the Ministry of Defence of the USSR and Ministry of Defence of Uzbekistan.

30 October 2010 on the Uzbek-Kazakh border station Keles the Uzbek border control detained Yuri Korepanov. After that he was sentenced to 1 year prison term under Article 223 of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan (“Unlawful exit abroad or unlawful entry in the Republic of Uzbekistan”) and to 15 years of prison term under Article 157 CC RU (“Treason”) allegedly treason in favour of Russian Federation. The fact that since 2004 he had a Russian citizenship is being ignored altogether. Until now and in violation of Article 475 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Uzbekistan (“Handing a copy of the sentence to the convicted”) Korepanov has not been served his sentence. A copy of the sentence must be handed to the convict not later than within 3 days after the announcement, and, if the volume of the sentence is too large then not later than 10 days after the announcement.

In 2004 Colonel Korepanov received Russian citizenship and moved to Yekaterinburg. However,  in Uzbekistan he was considered a citizen of Uzbekistan. 

According to the observation of the Association for Human Rights in Central Asia, authorities of Uzbekistan forcibly make people retain their Uzbek citizenship. Their aim is to create a legal limbo situation and exercise politically motivated pressure on them. There is Article 223 in the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan (“Unlawful exit from and unlawful entry in the Republic of Uzbekistan”). It creates an institutional legal mechanism of discrimination and prosecution of national minorities including Russians. Citizens of Uzbekistan of different ethnicities who receive Russian citizenship and moved to that country in order to improve their living conditions become an object of repression and extortion. 

And this is a wide spread practice. The access to the President’s decree on the renunciation of citizenship (nationality) is blocked in various ways. This leads to the situation whereby former citizens of Uzbekistan are held criminally liable under false pretexts even if they submitted the required application to Embassy of Uzbekistan in Russia. 

Retired Colonel Yuri Korepanov was released from detention pursuant to themeeting of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitri Medvedev with the Head of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov. It is not likely that Medvedev and Karimov discussed the legal mechanisms, which would allow people to avoid punishment due to faults in the legislation pertaining to nationality/citizenship of both countries.

We have written about this case in the past:
Press-release “Uzbekistan: 63-year old convict Yuri Korepanov has been driven to cardiac infarction!”of 1 March 2011 http://nadejda-atayeva.blogspot.com/2011/03/63.html
Press-release “The Absurd Verdict: Uzbekistan has convicted Yuri Korepanov, a Russian citizen, for “betraying his Uzbek motherland” of 23 February 2011 http://nadejda-atayeva.blogspot.com/2011/02/blog-post_1279.html

Kazakhstan: Christian convicts denied access to a praying room

22 August 2011 Alexander Gaponov, a convict of the UK 161/12 in the town of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan, asked the deputy head of the colony in charge of internal order and operations D.A. Belgibaev to allocate a praying room for Christians.  He assured the official that convicts would renovate the room themselves. Belgibaev declined the request saying that in a Muslim state nobody is obliged to conduct talks about Christian religion.

According to observers, almost in all penitentiary facilities in Kazakhstan there are praying rooms for Muslims and Christians. Freedom of religion and belief is part of fundamental human rights. However,  in the colony UK 161/12 it was considered inadmissible to carry out Christian religious rituals. Belgibaev talked with Gaponov in a rude manner. He threatened to punish all convicts in the Arkalyk colony if Gaponov did not give up his intention to create a praying space. 

Convict Alexander Gaponov, born 1977, is serving a sentence under Article 381 of the Criminal Code of Kazakhstan (extortion). He was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment. This is his third prison term. He is a believer. He has been actively involved in sports. Has a very good reputation among the convicts. When under the orders of the Colony management the Muslim convicts were subjected to forcible shaving of their beards he took their side. For the open expression of his opinion about lawlessness in penitentiary facilities of Northern Kazakhstan Gaponov is frequently convoyed from one colony to another. And besides, his prison conditions worsen each time. Twice Gaponov was placed in the bunkers of the colony Zhitigory of the Kostanay Province for those convicted for life, which is a gross violation of the criminal-penitentiary legislation.

Despite the threats by the UK 161/12 colony Alexander Gaponov filed a complaint to the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbaev asking him to pay attention to the violation of Article 22 of the Constitution of Kazakhstan on religious freedom. The wife of the convict, Natalya Gaponova, the mother of two children, also filed a complaint to Nazarbaev. She expressed grave concern over the fate of her husband. In her opinion Alexander Gaponov is facing danger due to his religious beliefs. Natalya Gaponova considers that officers of the UK 161/12 are trying to slander against her husband as a revenge for his attempts to prevent wardens’ reprisals against Muslim convicts wearing beards.

Actions of the deputy head of the colony in charge of internal order and operations D.A. Belgibaev aimed at restricting the right to religious freedom  and to carrying out religious rituals are unlawful. They contradict the Constitution of Kazakhstan and international obligations within the framework of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Guiding Principles of protection of all persons subjected to arrests and detention in any form. 

For more detailed information, please, refer to:

Vadim Kuramshin, Human Rights Defender, Kazakhstan vadimkuramshin@gmail.com 

Nadejda Atayeva, President of the Association for Human Rights in Central Asia, France n.atayeva@gmail.com 

Kazakhstan: unprecedented pressure on the participants and supporters of the workers’ strikes

16 August 2011 in the airport of the city of Aktau (Western Kazakhstan) a leader of the youth organization “Rukh Pen Til” Zhanbolat Mamay was arrested. He arrived from Moscow where he took part in a meeting and a press-conference in support of striking oil workers of Mangistau. He was imposed a penalty of a 10-day administrative detention. This marked another step in an unprecedented pressure on the participants of oil workers strikes and their supporters.

Zhanbolat Mamay enjoys the trust of the striking workers of the shareholding company “OzenMunayGaz”, a Kazakh-Chinese enterprise “KarazhanbasMunay”, and “Ersan Caspian Contractor”, which is part of the Italian shareholding company ENI. Since 11 May 2011 they are continuing the collective action of protest , but the government of Kazakhstan continues to ignore their demands:

•  To allow the work of the independent trade union “Karakiyak”;
• To revisit and revise the collective agreement in order to take account of the needs, interests and rights of workers coming from the principle of equality of parties in the agreement;
• To raise the wages by 100%, because the current wages are not commensurate with the real minimum living standards;
• To review the wages and working conditions in accordance with International Labour Standards.

Zhanbolat Mamay

Zhanbolat MAMAY -
Citizen of Kazakhstan, born 15 June 1988. Journalist, Philologist. Graduated from the Kazakh University of International Relations and World Languages named after Abylai-Khan. Leader of the Youth Organization “Rukh Pen Til” founded in 2007. Member of the Social Fund “Kazakh JournalistsClub”. His materials are published in the newspapers “Zhas Alash”, “Dat”, etc.

Zhanbolat Mamay’s speeches in support of strikers are well grounded and based on objective information. He met up with the workers in Aktau several times. He participated in setting up meetings for the Members of the European Parliament and Western diplomats with the strike participants. He was among the most active organizers of the campaign of solidarity with the striking workers, which included journalists, human rights defenders, opposition parties and representatives of the Western civil society.

• Kazakhstani authorities’ reaction

Campaign in solidarity with strikers strongly annoyed his opponents. A few days before his trip to Moscow Zhanbolat received anonymous phone calls with threats of a syringe injection with a lethal illness virus if did not stop to defend the cause of the oil workers. In the airport upon his arrival from Moscow he was rudely grabbed by law enforcement officers, put the street patrol car and driven away in an unknown direction. For several hours Zhanbolat Mamay’s family could not obtain information of his whereabouts, lawyer did not have access to him.
         Later on administrative court adjudicated him as guilty under Section 1 Article 373 of the Code of Administrative Liability of the Republic of Kazakhstan (“Violation of the legislation on the procedure of organization and conduct of peaceful meetings, gatherings, marches, pickets and demonstrations”) for participation in an unsanctioned meeting. The court imposed an administrative penalty in the amount of 10 minimum wages on him. 
         In addition, under Section 2 Article 355 (“Non-fulfilment of instructions or malicious disobedience of lawful order or demand by the law enforcement officer of prosecutor’s office, internal affairs (police) body”) court imposed a 10-day administrative detention on him. 

In press-service of the Department of Internal Affairs journalist Danesh Baibolatov was told that the police was preparing an official press-release of the matter, until then there would be no comments.

          The arrest and detention of the civil activist Zh. Mamay is another step in violent suppression of the labour conflict. This is highly probable that this will exacerbate social tension in the society. Authorities hand in hand with employers have embarked on a dangerous path of lawlessness and connivance to reprisals. Here are examples:

   - unlawful criminal prosecution of Natalya Sokolova, the “KarazhanbasMunay” shareholding company trade union’s lawyer;

   - arrests and detention of lawful trade union leaders and activists – Kuanysh Sisenbaev, Akzhanat Aminov, Natalya Azhigalieva and others;

   - killing of Zhaksylyk Turbaev, a young trade union activist, oil worker of the “MynayFieldService” company (city of Zhanaozen), who received threats in conjunction with his trade union activity on the eve of his death;

   - mass firing of workers without the consent of the trade union committee.

It is characteristic that the criminal prosecution of Natalya Sokolova and factual prohibition of the independent trade unions activity is taking place at the time when state labour inspection is not performing its major function of monitoring the due process of labour laws.

• Position of the Kazakhstani judicial system

The court decision on recognizing the workers’ collective action as unlawful is bemusing, because the court ignored the root causes of the workers’ action. The workers demanded the tri-partite consultative process to be launched in order to revise the collective agreement. And this was in accordance with fundamental principles and human rights at work, national legislation and international standards. The discussion and regulation of the balance of interests of the parties is the corner stone of sustainable industrial relations between employers and workers (represented by their independent and democratically elected trade union leaders and activists) with participation of the third party – the State, which would be a mandatory condition for the conflict resolution.

In addition, issues concerning working conditions and wages, management issues and the structure of the enterprise should fall within the scope of the court of arbitration and not a criminal or administrative court. Thus, the conflict is being deepened and exacerbated due to the denial of the problem by the unwillingness of the authorities to establish an on-going tripartite consultative process.

Association for Human Rights in Central Asia and Open Dialog Foundation are extremely concerned over the situation in Kazakhstan where:

• Civic initiatives in defense of the right to decent work are being suppressed;
• Access to reliable information is hindered;
• The State is not stepping in as the guarantor of the consultative process between employers and workers, it is sabotaging the fulfillment of its commitment to uphold fundamental principles and human rights at work, violating its commitments under the ratified conventions of the ILO on freedom of association and collective bargaining, conclusion and renewal of collective agreements (CC87, 98), on prohibition of discrimination at work, on equal pay for the work of equal value (C111). 

        

          The violations of the ratified ILO conventions are as follows:

1.The State and employers are not recognizing the independent trade unions founded by workers and representing their interests;

2.The State and employers are recognizing the democratically elected representatives of the independent trade unions and social activists who are striving towards fare resolution of the long-term labour conflict;

3.The State is not using the function of the state labour inspection for effective monitoring of the observance of labour laws and working conditions and does not let the trade unions to conduct public control and monitoring and represent the lawful interests of the workers;

4.The State is suppressing the workers’ movement in various ways. Criminal charges are being fabricated against activists of the workers movement and civil society via using the judicial and law enforcement systems. Extrajudicial reprisals against activists are taking place with the connivance of the State.

5.Kazakhstan has a cumbersome procedure for obtaining an official written permission for any kind of peaceful gathering, meeting, picket, demonstration instead of a simple notifying procedure, which would be a normal practice under the international law; thus, authorities use the judicial system for criminalizing peaceful gatherings and for the violation of the freedom of assembly and collective action;

6.In carrying out judicial and investigative activities in relation to the strikers and their representatives as well the lawyer of the trade unions human rights in the criminal process are violated both under the national laws and international commitments of Kazakhstan;

7.Criminal groups organized by employers carry out violent reprisals on the strikers,  intimidate them into stopping the protests;

8.Kazakhstan is committing massive violations of the fundamental principles and human rights at work as well as massive and gross violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights:

         - on freedom of expression (Article 19), freedom of assembly (Article 21) and freedom of association (Article 22);

          - on civil and political rights of workers, their lawful representatives in the person of independent trade unions and civil society activists.

Association for Human Rights in Central Asia and Open Dialog Foundation consider that the state organs took the side of the employers in this massive and serious labour conflict, which leads to the escalation of the social tension in the society.

International observers should provide their evaluation of the actions of the State organs which display a negative strategy by:

• denying the wider dialogue in the society and Social Dialogue with workers and social activists supporting them;
• forceful suppression of the social tension and support the stalemate in the society;
• persecute activists and representatives of the civil society.

For the Government and the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan it is necessary as a matter of urgency:

• to stop the persecution of Zhanbolat Mamay and other activists of trade unions and civil society; 
• to recall guilty verdicts in relation to Natalya Sokolova, all trade union leaders and activists;
• to release from custody all of the detained and convicted trade union leaders and active participants and supporters of the strikes;
• to restore at work all of the fired activists and workers who demanded the observance of their fundamental human rights at work;
• to initiate the establishment of standing tri-partite negotiations and a consultative process with participation of the state labour inspection, employers and independent trade unions representing workers’ interests; 

For the International Labour Organization it is necessary to consider the establishment of an independent commission of experts under the auspices of the ILO specially devoted to the monitoring of the conflict resolution process and prevention of such an acute stand-off in the future.

For more detailed information please refer to:

        Lyudmyla Kozlovska, Open Dialog Foundation  lyudmylakozlovska@odfoundation.eu

        Nadejda Atayeva, Association for Human Rights in Central Asia n.atayeva@gmail.com

Azerbaijan: bulldozer demolished the Institute of Peace and Democracy

Statement in solidarity with human rights defenders of Azerbaijan

11 August 2011 about 20.30 the office of the Institute of Peace and Democracy in Azerbaijan was demolished by bulldozer. This happened despite a court decision of 25 May 2011 on prohibition of demolition of that building until the entry into force of the court decision. Cynically and knowingly the property of the Institute was destroyed including office equipment, the entire archive, documentation of the Institute and its affiliates: Women’s Crisis Centre and the Azerbaijan Сampaign to Ban Landmines. The urgent intervention of the international community is needed.

logo IPD

Institute of Peace and Democracy (IPD) was founded in Azerbaijan in 1995. In 1997 IPD launched the Azerbaijani Campaign to Ban Landmines (ACBL - is the member of ICBL), and in 2001 – the IPD founded the only Women’s Crisis Centre in the country. Over these years the Centre helped 14,000 women.

There were five departments within the Institute of Peace and Democracy: human rights protection, state and society, conflictology and migration, youth problems and assistance to women.

Institute of Peace and Democracy is the only Azerbaijani non-governmental organization, which collaborates with the civil society of Azerbaijan on a continuous basis. From the day of its formation it has been conducting independent research on the ethnic minority problems, regulating of the Karabakh conflict. IPD monitors the situation of political prisoners in Azerbaijan.. It is due to the IPD efforts the resolution of the problem of political prisoners was included in the international obligations of Azerbaijan before its accession to the Council of Europe.

Leyla Yunusova

The leader of the Institute of Peace and Democracy Leyla Yunusova created one of the best think tanks in the country. Thanks to their efforts 6 fundamental research endeavors were completed and published, such as “Islam in Azerbaijan”, “Meskhetia Turks: a people deported twice”, “Azerbaijan in the beginning of the ХХI century: Conflicts and Potential Threats”, “Karabakh: yesterday and today”, etc.

Arif Yunusov

The office building was located in the centre of the city of Baku at 38 Shamsi Badalbeili Street. The market value of the demolished building was about 500,000 Azeri Manats ($625,000). It was a private property of the human rights defenders Leyla and Arif Yunusovs. Along with the building the entire property of the organization was destroyed including office equipment, library, and all information hardware where the archive of the organization was stored.

Persons responsible for the demolition divulged the information that they were ordered to fulfill orders from above coming from the leadership of the country. The barbaric action was headed by the head of the State Committee on Property Issues of Azerbaijan Yusif Gambarov and a representative of the executive power of the city of Baku Zulfali Ismailov.

The authorities of Azerbaijan do not explain the reason for the demolition of the Yunusovs house. Nobody approached the owners with an offer to buy to their property. Encountering lawlessness the Yunusovs filed a lawsuit with a demand for protection of their real estate.

24 May 2011 on the Yunusovs’ lawsuit a court decision was issued on the prohibition of demolition of their house and on any works that would harm the house until the court decision entered the force. Despite the fact that this court decision was disseminated among all of the concerned instances in good time, the house was demolished by a bulldozer within 20 minutes on the evening of 11 August.

These events are only a reaction of the authorities of Azerbaijan to the criticism by the Western media and international human rights organizations. This deliberate and considerable material damage was dealt to the founders of the Institute of Peace and Democracy Leyla and Arif Yunusovs with the intent to silence the voice of the brave critics of the dictator regime in Azerbaijan

Under the bulldozer went the portraits of their parents painted 60 years ago by the people’s artists of Azerbaijan N. Najafzade (portrait of Teimur Useinov) and by Tofik Agababaev (portrait of Zohra Useinova). This fact testifies to the fierce desire of the authorities to punish and intimidate the human rights defenders.

The above circumstances illustrate the demonstrative violation of fundamental rights in Azerbaijan determined by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights:

• Article 17 “… No one shall be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to unlawful attacks on his honour and reputation”;

• Article 19 “… Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice”.

• Article 26 “All persons are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to the equal protection of the law.“   

We express our solidarity to the staff of the Institute of Peace and Democracy and call on the Government of Azerbaijan to fulfill obligations on international human rights treaties.

Signatures:


Nadejda Atayeva, President of the Association for Human Rights in Central Asia , France asiecentrale@neuf.fr

Dmitri Belomestnov, Representative of the Association for Human Rights in Central Asia in Russia

Jodgor Obid, Member of the International PEN-club, Austria

Bernhardt Clasen, co-chair of the International Working Group on Peace Making, Germany

Dr.Valery Hrytsuk, Coordinator of the International Association of Independent Democrats against Authoritarian Regimes (IAIDaAR)

Aleksey Tolkachov, President of the European Association of Ukrainians, Ukraine

Lyudmila Kozlovska, Vice-Director of the “Open Dialogue” Fund, Poland

Vyacheslav Mamedov, Democratic Civic Union of Turkmenistan, The Netherlands

Shukhrat Ganiev, Director of the Humanitarian Legal Centre, Coordinator of the Central Asian network on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders”, Uzbekistan

Ulugbek Khaidarov, Journalist, Canada

Saidjakhon Zainobiddinov, Leader of the “Apellyatsia” Society, People’s Movement of Uzbekistan “Birdamlik”, Uzbekistan

Diloram Iskhakova, Representative of the human rights Centre “Mazlum”, Uzbekistan 

Alisher Taksanov, independent journalist, Switzerland

Tulkin Karaev, human rights defender, Sweden

Iskandar Khudoyberganov, Leader of the Centre for Democratic Initiative, Uzbekistan 

Bakhiyor Isabekov, Writer and Philologist, Uzbekistan 

Gulchekhra Nurullaeva, Poetess, Uzbekistan

Otanazar Arifov, General Secretary of the Democratic Party of Uzbekistan “Erk”, Uzbekistan

Kholiknazar Ganiev, member of the Human Rights Centre “Mazlum”, Uzbekistan 

Kamil Ashurov, Leader of the Centre for Human Rights Initiatives (CHI) of Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Surat Ikramov, Chairman of the Initiative Group of Independent Human Rights Defenders of Uzbekistan 

Abdusalom Ergashev, Expert of the Expert Working Group, Tashkent, Uzbekistan 

Vokhid Karimov, Expert of the Expert Working Group, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Sukhrobjon Ismoilov, Director of the Expert Group, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Abdujalil Boymatov, President of the Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan (OPChU), Ireland

Elena Urlaeva, Leader of the Public Movement “Human Rights Alliance of Uzbekistan 

Uzbekistan: inmates deranged from torture are kept in torturous conditions

23 July the relatives of the inmate Jamoliddin Karimov were able to see him at last. He was sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment. “He did not recognize us. He wonders around muttering something. His body is extremely dirty and one can see as the dirt is coming off his skin in layers”, his sister relates in tears.

The Association for Human Rights in Central Asia in its Press Release of 7 May 2010 wrote about the fate of the Uzbek prisoners suffering from mental disorders. The information about them is continuously concealed in all possible ways. They are not subject to amnesty.

Jamoliddin Karimov, born 1977, was sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment under Article 159 of the Criminal Code (CC) of Uzbekistan “Encroachment on constitutional order of Uzbekistan”. Since 25 October 2001 he has been serving the sentence in prison facilities. Karimov was first held in Colony 64/29 in Navoi city, and then he was transferred to Colony 64/71 in the settlement of Jaslyk in Karakalpakstan, where he was held till August 2004. There he was sentenced under Article 221 CC of Uzbekistan “Disobedience to lawful demands of the penitentiary facility administration” thus adding three more years to his prison term and transferred him to the Andijan high security zone. Before May 2007 Karimov was held in Colony 64/36 in Navoi. Since May 2008, again, he has been serving his sentence in Colony 64/71 in the settlement of Jaslyk in Karakalpakstan.

In 2003 when Jamoliddin Karimov was held in Colony 64/71 in the beginning of his term he was severely beaten up by the Colony staff. Blows were dealt all over his body including soles and heels. Prison staff broke his both arms. In order to treat the broken arms Karimov was operated and doctors installed a metallic pin in his shoulder joint. The pin had to be removed in six months. The pin was not removed in time. In almost a year after the pin was installed in his body the inflammation started, which then turned into an abscess and the pin had partially come off, after that the doctors operated him in order to remove the pin. However, the operation was conducted without anaesthesia.   As a result of acute pain shock Jamoliddin Karimov was deranged.

When his sisters came to see him Karimov did not recognize them. When they have extended meetings with him, he does not sleep, he hardly eats anything. Karimov’s clothes are extremely dirty and torn, which is not changed.

Over the past year the situation of Ulugbek Sirojiddinov, born 1971, has not changed. He is serving his sentence in Colony 64/36 in Navoi. He suffers from mental disorder as a result of torture. Sirojiddinov was sentenced under Article 159 CC of Uzbekistan.

The relatives of the mentally ill prisoners are scared of taking any action in their defence due to the intimidation by the authorities.

Association for Human Rights in Central Asia is gravely concerned about the health condition of Jamoliddin Karimov, Ulugbek Sirojiddinov and violation of their right to access to medical help.

Despite the law the inmates sentenced upon political grounds and suffering from mental disorders:

- are kept in the same conditions as other prisoners, they are not transferred to special medical facilities;

- Article 75 CC of Uzbekistan “Release from punishment due to illness” and Article 165 of Penitentiary Code of Uzbekistan “Order of release process from punishment due to illness” are not applied to them.

Due to the above the following international obligations of Uzbekistan are violated:

- Article 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which determines that all imprisoned persons have the right to humane treatment;

- Article 22 of the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, which determines that “Sick prisoners who require specialist treatment shall be transferred to specialized institutions or to civil hospitals. Where hospital facilities are provided in an institution, their equipment, furnishings and pharmaceutical supplies shall be proper for the medical care and treatment of sick prisoners, and there shall be a staff of suitable trained officers”;

- Article 44 (1) of the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, which determines that “Upon the death or serious illness of, or serious injury to a prisoner, or his removal to an institution for the treatment of mental affections, the director shall at once inform the spouse, if the prisoner is married, or the nearest relative and shall in any event inform any other person previously designated by the prisoner”;

<..>

“(3) Every prisoner shall have the right to inform at once his family of his imprisonment or his transfer to another institution”.

Association for Human Rights in Central Asia once again calls upon all parties concerned to intervene in the cases of the prisoners and do everything within their competence in order for the following to be done and without delay:

- the prisoners must be examined by qualified doctors and representatives the International Committee of the Red Cross must be admitted to see them;

- The prisoners must be transferred from penitentiary to the medical facilities.

The address is sent to:

            - The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights;

            - The UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment;

            - The UN Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to physical and mental health; 

            - International Committee of the Red Cross;

            - International Human Rights organizations.