11 November 2011, at 6 am in the Tashkent airport a citizen of Uzbekistan Zarifa Yusupova deported from Norway was detained. It became known to us that she was released from custody although her laptop computer has not been returned to her. The situation of Yusupova is still a matter of concern.
8 November 2011 at 7 am Norwegian time in the suburb of Oslo police arrested a citizen of Uzbekistan Zarifa Yusupova. A ground for arrest was the decision of Norway adopted in September 2010on the deportation of her family. Her two young children were with her. Her husband Muzafar Tafarov was out of town therefore he is still in Norway.
10 November 2011 Zarifa Yusupova and her children were deported to Uzbekistan. She was detained upon arrival in the Tashkent airport. It is not clear for how long she had been held in custody. On 20 November we learned from a reliable source that she was released. The confiscated computer was not returned to her. She is avoiding any communication.
Since 2009 Yusupova has been persecuted in Uzbekistan for religious convictions therefore she asked for international protection.
Norwegian human rights defenders took a proactive stance in this case. They did all they could for Norway to reverse its decision on the deportation of Yusupova’s husband Muzafar Tafarov.
Information on the deported members of this family is not easily accessible. According to our Uzbekistani colleagues there is a 24/7 surveillance of her house for the past several days. The owner of the car stationed near the house is suspiciously interested in Zarifa Yusupova.
Article 3 of the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment prohibits deportation of persons to countries where they fall under the threat torture or other unacceptable forms of treatment.
Deportation of Zarifa Yusupova and her young children once again proves that forcible deportation of people to Uzbekistan is unacceptable due to the systemic practice of torture in that country.
According to the information of the Association for Human Rights in Central Asia over the recent period of time eight persons were deported from the European Union to Uzbekistan. Three of them were subjected to criminal prosecution upon false charges; five of them are not able to obtain permission to leave the country.
