72-year old Mamadali Makhmudov has been sentenced once again to a new prison term, this time for three years. He is currently at the Tashkent city prison awaiting transportation under guard to a colony. Health and life of Mamadali Makhmudov is in grave danger: he had an infarction a few days ago.
8 April 2013 in the Gazalkent court of the Tashkent
province a court hearing over the writer Mamadali Makhmudov took place. The 72-year
old was sentenced to three years of jail term under Article 221 of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan “Failure to
abide by lawful demands of the administration of the penitentiary institution”.
10 April 2013 a two-hour meeting of Mamadali
Makhmudov and his wife and daughter took place. According to his family, he
looks very ill, emaciated and depressed.
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Writer Mamadali MAKHMUDOV (pen name Evril
Turon) was born in 1940, a citizen of Uzbekistan, former chairman of the
Culture Foundation of Uzbekistan, leader of the movement “Turkestan” founded
upon the initiative of the Uzbek intellectuals, which existed from 1989 to
1993. Laureate of the Hellman – Hammett award given to writers, victims of
political persecution and “Cholpan” award instituted in memory of the victims
of Stalin’s repressions, which he received for the historical novel “Immortal
Rocks”. In 2008 French Publisher "L’AUBE" published this novel in the
French translation by Philippe Frizon.
·
Mamadali
Makhmudov’s case
On 26 February 1999 the
writer was detained. On 18 August 1999 the Tashkent regional court sentenced
him to 14 years of imprisonment under Article 25-159, Part 4 of the Criminal
Code of Uzbekistan (encroachment on constitutional order); Article 216
(organisation of prohibited public associations and religious organisations);
Article 242 Part 1 (organisation of criminal associations). Before his transfer
to the Tashkent prison he was serving his sentence in the High Security Prison
UYa 64/6, in the town of Chirchik, Tashkent Province. This is not the first
conviction of the writer upon fabricated charges.
In 1994 Mamadali
Makhmudov was planted drugs and during search in his house leaflets of the
party “Erk” were found. Keeping leaflets in itself does not violate the law,
however, that became one of the pretexts for criminal prosecution. Afterwards,
he was held criminally liable upon fabricated charges of “embezzlement”. He was
then the Chairman of the Culture Foundation of Uzbekistan. Wide public response
and international campaign in support of the writer influenced the authorities
and he was released under an amnesty act.
The Association for Human Rights in Central
Asia refers to Members of Parliament, public and political organisations, mass
media and all interested parties to take a stand and demand the release of
Mamadali Makhmudov from prison.
In the past we issued:
-
Press Release “Uzbekistan: jailed writer Mamadali Makhmudov indicted with new
charges” of 20 March 2013;
- Open Letter to the Minister
of Foreign Affairs of France Laurent Fabius about Mamadali Makhmudov of 27
February 2013;
- Press Release “Uzbekistan: jailed writer Mamadali Makhmudov is at risk of the new term of imprisonment” of 13 February 2013;
- Press Release “Uzbekistan: jailed writer Mamadali Makhmudov is at risk of the new term of imprisonment” of 13 February 2013;
- Press
Release “Uzbekistan: jailed writer Mamadali Makhmudov sustained a head injury”
of 26 Novemmber 2012;
- Press Release “Uzbekistan: A campaign for the release of the writer Mamadali Makhmudov” of 1 December 2008;
- Press Release “Uzbekistan: A campaign for the release of the writer Mamadali Makhmudov” of 1 December 2008;
- Jailed writer Mamadali Makhmudov’s
(Evril Turon) Open Letter to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov
of 4
April 2003.
