This was the report I received from Norway and was
shocked by this news. Since 15 April, a dear friend of mine has been behind
bars.
Shavkatjon Hajihanov lived and worked legally in
Norway for many years. He and I were originally from
Uzbekistan, but we met
during my business trip to Oslo. And we have spent more than three years
together working on human rights.
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| Shavkatjon Hajihanov |
“Why did he go back?” I asked our mutual friend, and
he replied: “Shavkatjon received news that his mother was near death!” It
turned out that when attempts were made to talk him out of going back to
Uzbekistan, he became irritated and explained that he must save his mother…
All together, Shavkatjon had lived outside of
Uzbekistan for more than 18 years. He had left the country because the officers
of the interior affairs agencies gave him no peace, as they did with many other
residents of the Ferghana Valley. Many of them, from the day they become adults,
are put in the registry at the internal affairs departments [the police] according
to their place of residence permit and each one is called in for a “chat.” The
reason is most often the slander said by
a neighbor or relative obtained by torture. It is impossible to defend oneself
from this lawlessness. That is how many wind up behind bars, and the best means
of avoiding these trials was emigration.
Shavkatjon Hajihanov left for South Korea, where he
had the opportunity to get a job, and there made the acquaintance of Nemat
Ahunov. Shavkatjon earned some money and then returned. And once again, the
threat of arrest arose again; by that time, many of his fellow classmates and neighbors
were imprisoned. Once again, he decided to leave the country. Together with
Nemat, he headed for Norway, where he lived and worked legally. Both were happy
that they had an opportunity to help their relatives.
Shavkatjon was a member of the Association of Human
Rights in Central Asia. From the very beginning, he actively took part in
public actions to abolish child and forced labor. He would provide financial
assistance out of his own funds to those who suffered injuries during the
cotton campaign. He took care of the relatives of people who were imprisoned on
fabricated charges. And each time, when he made a financial contribution to our
organization, he strongly urged us not to publicly mention his name, believing
that to be inappropriate. He is characterized as honest, hard-working, and
helpful.
Late in the evening of 11 April 2014, Shavkatjon
Hajihanov flew from Norway. He arrived in Kyrgyzstan on 13 April. Fearing
political persecution, he decided to get into Uzbekistan unnoticed. Early on
the morning of 14 April, Shavkatjon crossed the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border, avoiding the
checkpoint, which is a violation of the rules for crossing state borders. He
had a mobile phone and a change of clothing with him. He headed directly to the
city of Margilan, where his mother, wife and children live. He reached home
toward lunch-time, and of course, everyone was overjoyed with his appearance.
Then on the afternoon of 15 April, 15 armed men broke
into the house, and another 15 people surrounded the whole house, involving all
the neighbors and residents of the street in the operation. Shavkatjon
Hajihanov was brought out of the house in hand-cuffs, shorts, and his slippers.
He was not allowed even to get dressed or approach his mother. Before the eyes
of his sick mother and frightened family and neighbors, the security service
officers roughly push him out of the house with the butt of a rifle and shoved
him into their car. At the same time, they detained his nephew, sister and
brother. All of them were taken to the Ferghana Regional Directorate of the
National Security Service of Uzbekistan.
By evening, all were released from custody except
Shavkatjon Hajihanov. But the next day there was a face-to-face meeting
arranged between Shavkatjon and his nephew who had met him at the border of
Uzbekistan. According to his relatives, Shavkatjon stood in the office of the
investigator in his shorts and slippers, shivering from the cold, and marks of
beatings were visible on his body. Seeing Shavkatjon, his nephew fell to his
knees before the guard and began to beg him to let him give his sneakers to his
uncle. And when the guard gave his consent for this, he hugged Shavkatjon and
hurriedly began to put on the shoes. Both of them were crying, and Shavkatjon
kept asking him to report all this at the embassy, because it was impossible
for him to survive this hell… Hearing this, the guard began to beat Shavkatjon
with all his strengthen on his head and back, not leaving him the strength to
remain on his feet, and then dragged him out of the building where they were
located. After that, blows could still be heard for some time.
Then the news came that on the evening of 15 April,
Nemat Ahunov, who had come back from Norway several months earlier, was brought
to the basement of the SNB in Ferghana Valley.
Not long before his return to Uzbekistan, Ahunov had quarreled with Hajihanov, and stolen a
photo from his album where Shavkat was shown next to me in a picture. We had
taken our picture together. There were also photographs with the human rights
defender Mutabar Tajibayeva and Muhammad Salih who had received political
asylum in Norway as leader of the Erk Democratic Party of Uzbekistan. It is not
known what exactly Nemat did with those photos.
Hajihanov’s lawyer has reported that Shavkatjon has
already been charged with several articles of the Criminal Code. His family
remember only Art. 223 (illegal border-crossing or illegal entry into the
Republic of Uzbekistan).
It is difficult for me to hide my personal
relationship to Shavkatjon Hajihanov. Everyone who knows him will understand
me. We both want our country to be developed and economically strong, so that
human rights would be observed there.
For the sake of the security of his family and
friends, Shavkatjon took part in the Association of Human Rights in Central
Asia under conditions of confidentiality. And since the Uzbek authorities have
learned about this, then I confirm that Shavkatjon was a human rights advocate
who deserves the respect of the public.
Even a few days ago, I did not imagine that I
would have to tell how Shavkatjon would be forced to perjure himself under
torture, and state that he is acquainted with militants. And only because of
the fact that he personally knows human rights activists and Muhammad Salih.
With respect for Shavkatjon Hajihanov,
Nadejda Atayeva
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