On the Day of the 65th
anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights please support
a petition for freedom of Uzbek political prisoner Murad Djuraev!
Murad Djuraev is in prison
for nearly 20 years. He sufferers for speaking out critically against dictator
Islam Karimov. He was tortured and repeatedly placed in solitary confinement. He
is serving the fifth consecutive term of imprisonment on trumped-up charges.
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| Murad Djuraev, 1994 |
Murad Djuraev was born in
1952 in Mubarek city in Kashkadarya region. He is married and has three
children. He graduated from the Tashkent Polytechnic Institute. From 1989 to
1992 he served as the chair of the Executive Committee of the City Council of
Mubarek City. Between 1991-1992 he was a member of Parliament of Uzbekistan. Murad
Djuraev was accused of conspiring with the leader of the “Erk” opposition
political party, Mukhammad Solih.
According to the authorities, Solih and Djuraev tried to organise a violent
coup. Since 18 September 1994 Murad Djuraev has been in prison.
On 31 March 1995 Murad Djuraev
was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment, to be served in a strict regime penal
colony, and confiscation of property. On the basis of an amnesty, the sentence
was reduced by three years.
Shortly before the end of his
sentence term on 27 July 2004, Djuarev was convicted on trumped-up charges
under Article 221 of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan «Disobedience to the legal
demands of the administration of the penal institution» for yet another three
years of imprisonment. The same happened on 27 July 2006 when his, then, last
sentence term was coming to the end; the prisoner was given an additional three
years of imprisonment under Article 221 of the Criminal code of Uzbekistan. On
31 May 2009, using the same Article, his prison term was again extended by
three years and four months. Among other reasons given – the punishment was
given because he “improperly peeled carrots,” while working in the kitchen. On
13 November 2012, he completed his fourth sentence. On 4 December 2012, Murad Djuraev
was sentenced again to three years and 24 days, once again under the Article
221 of the Criminal Code of Republic of Uzbekistan.
The Association for Human Rights in Central Asia urges
you to sign a petition in support of freedom for Murad Djuraev who is subjected
to torture, imprisonment and taken away from his loved ones.
Murad Djuraev remains faithful to the ideals of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Please send your signature in support to asiecentrale@neuf.fr or sign the online petition at "For freedom of Uzbek political prisoner Murad Djuraev!”
