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| Murad Djuraev |
We call on the authorities to facilitate
access of Murad Djuraev’s
relatives to the court sentences against him and to give them the opportunity to rapidly appeal the sentence imposed on him, and thus clear his name.
- Murad Djuraev
Murad Djuraev worked as chairman of the executive committee of
the city council of Mubarek (in
the Qashgardaryo Region of Uzbekistan, near
Bukhara), before becoming a Member of Parliament in 1991- 1992. He fell out of
favour with President Islam Karimov after he was the first Uzbekistani official
to dissolve the Communist Party committee in his city after the Soviet Union
collapsed. He believed that only with the active participation of civil society
would the abolition of child labor in the cotton sector be achieved in
Uzbekistan and highlighted the need for accessible education, as well as about
the role of political opposition in political processes. His critical speeches
in parliament and his support of the political opposition put him at risk of
reprisals and he escaped to Kazakhstan, where he lived in hiding.
the Qashgardaryo Region of Uzbekistan, near
Bukhara), before becoming a Member of Parliament in 1991- 1992. He fell out of
favour with President Islam Karimov after he was the first Uzbekistani official
to dissolve the Communist Party committee in his city after the Soviet Union
collapsed. He believed that only with the active participation of civil society
would the abolition of child labor in the cotton sector be achieved in
Uzbekistan and highlighted the need for accessible education, as well as about
the role of political opposition in political processes. His critical speeches
in parliament and his support of the political opposition put him at risk of
reprisals and he escaped to Kazakhstan, where he lived in hiding.
On 18 September 1994, Murad Djuraev was abducted in Almaty and
subsequently held in the prison of the National Security Services in
Uzbekistan, where he was subjected to torture and threats of reprisals against
his relatives. He was charged with committing especially grave crimes,
including “treason”, “conspiracy to seize power” and “calling for the violent
overthrow of the constitutional order or for violating the territorial
integrity of the Republic of Uzbekistan”.
On 31 May 1995, the Supreme Court sentenced him to 12 years in prison, but the term was
Following international pressure, he was released in
November 2015 in very poor health. With great difficulty, he received a
passport and permission to travel abroad for treatment, but died before he was
able to leave for a planned operation in Germany. He died on 4 December 2017 at
the age of 65.
- Ongoing human rights violatins
Currently, thousands of prisoners are serving prison sentences
imposed under the previous and the current regime after being convicted in
unfair trials for serious crimes such as “violating the constitutional order”
(Article 159 of the Criminal Code), “producing or distributing matrials that
threaten public security and order” (Article 244-1) or “establishing, leading
or participating in religious extremist, separatist, fundamentalist or other
prohibited organizations” (Article 244-2). These articles that are vaguely
worded and allow for broad interpretation, have in many cases been misused
against critics or perceived government critics, such as Murad Djuraev.
Under President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, over two dozen civil society activists and political dissidents have been released from unjust imprisonment, decisions which have been welcomed by the international community. However, not one of them has been fully rehabilitated and those responsible for their persecution have not been brought to justice. Many suffered torture and other ill- treatment in detention as they were forced to provide false confessions. Yet, the perpetrators have escaped justice and the victims and their families have not received compensation and full redress.
