It has been ten day
since the activist of Group 24 who is wanted by Interpol on behest of Tajikistan
but she still does not have access to a lawyer in Investigations Detention Centre
of the city of Brest.
Mijgona Khudoydodova, Shabnam’s sister reports that a lawyer has not been
given access to speak to her. Shabnam Khudoydodova is isolated from information
which is taking a tall on her moral.
 |
| Shabnam Hudoydodova |
Shabnam
Khayrulloevna KHUDOYDODOVA was born on 20
December 1986 in the city of Kulyab of the Tajikistan SSR. She has an underage
daughter.
In social
networks, she actively supported the critical opinions of the political
opposition of Tajikistan, she emphasised the need for democratic reforms in her
home country. Whenever she could, Ms Hudoydodova participated in humanitarian
rallies in support of Tajik migrant workers.
In recent years, Shabnam Hudoydodova lived in Russia. When she learned
that her abduction in Russia was being prepared, Shabnam decided to leave the
Russian Federation. On 15 June 2015, while crossing the Russian-Belorussian
border control she was arrested in accordance with the request of Tajikistan
because she is charged under Article 37 of the Criminal Code of Tajikistan
(Criminal Liability of Accomplices).
Her lawyer is not given access to the Investigations
Detention Centre to see Shabnam Khudoydodova because of lack of a permit from
the Prosecutor General’s Office of Belorussia. This practice was abolished over
a year ago as unlawful. However, the present case illustrates the practice is
still applicable to cases under the international request for extradition.
The UN Committee on Human Rights qualifies a complete isolation from the
outside world, especially in the case of a threat to his health and life as torture
of the person arrested. If Ms Hudoydodova is to be extradited to Tajikistan,
she may face torture, prolonged detention and separation from her young
daughter.
Association for Human Rights in Central Asia (AHRCA) expresses its
concern that:
— Shbnam Khudoydodova has no access to defence in
Belorussia;
— she is cut off from the outside world, the
conditions of her detention are damaging her health and comparable to torture;
In this regard, the Association for
Human Rights in Central Asia urges the international observers in the area
of human rights to call on Byelorussia to fulfil its obligations under the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the UN Convention
against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
This report was sent to:
— UN High Commissioner for Human Rights;
— UN High Commissioner for Refugees;
— Participants of the 24th session of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in
Europe, dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Helsinki Final
Act, the founding document of the OSCE (Helsinki, 4-8 July 2015).
Our previous
publications on this topic:
— press release "Belarus: imprisoned Shabnam Khudoydodova from Tajikistan was allowed to meet with a lawyer" dated 20 Juillette 2015;
— press release "Belarus: imprisoned Shabnam Khudoydodova from Tajikistan was allowed to meet with a lawyer" dated 20 Juillette 2015;
— press release "A member of Group 24 of Tajikistan Shabnam Khudoydodova arrested in Belarus" dated 18 June
2015;
— press release "Turkey: Leader of the Tajik opposition Umarali Kuvatov murdered in Istanbul" dated 6 March 2015 ;
— press release "Arrests of
the Tajik activists. In Moscow, Maksud Ibragimov is missing" dated 26
January 2015;
— press release "Turkey:
the leader of «Group 24» Umarali Kuvatov faces a threat of extradition"
dated 13 January 2015;
— press release "Turkey:
the leader of «Goup 24» Umarali Kuvatov is detained" dated 20 December
2014;
— press release " Russia: an
attempt on the life of a member of the Tajik opposition Maksud Ibragimov"
dated 1 December 2014.
