So far, the news about the closure of Jaslyk is only a news that raises questions.
Will 3 August 2019 become the day of an important historical reference
point in the development of human rights in Uzbekistan?
President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, issued a
decision to close the Jaslyq concentration camp (УЯ 64/71), a modern laboratory of brutal human experiments, that was created by dictator
Islam Karimov. Jaslyq has long become a symbol of cruelty of the repressive
Karimov regime.
For 17 years, step by step, the international democratic community has been
pushing Uzbekistan to comply with the request of the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture,
Theo van Boven, to close down Jaslyq.
Much work remains to be done for implementation of
this crucial decision and for this to lead to eradication of the practice of torture
in the country.
However, doubts are already cast upon it really
happening, because this prison colony, which is located in the village of Jaslyq
of Karakalpakstan, is being transformed into another institution belonging to
the Main Directorate of Corrections, Pretrial Detention Facility No. 2 under
the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Karakalpakstan.
One cannot help but draw a parallel between the
decision to reform the National Security Service of Uzbekistan, which in
practice turned out to be only an exercise of renaming of the punitive body of
the government. As to torture, it continues, as was the case before, within the
walls of this prison colony and other institutions of the penitentiary system.
By virtue of the principles of the Constitution, it is
incumbent on the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, as a guarantor of
rights and freedoms in the country, to promptly demonstrate to the Uzbek people
and the international community his preparedness to achieve the complete liquidation
of the Jasylyq prison colony as a guarantee that such crimes will not continue.
The President of Uzbekistan must acknowledge that the
practice of torture still exists; he has to create a National Commission to
investigate the atrocities committed by law enforcement officers of Uzbekistan
and their involvement in torture and murder of prisoners, institute criminal
proceedings against them and ensure a public trial.
Only ensuring the inevitability of punishment for
crimes against humanity, such as torture, cruel and other degrading treatment,
can inspire confidence in this decision and attract responsible and
professional people into the law enforcement agencies.
The world history already has such a precedent, when
US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, openly admitted on behalf of his country
that American soldiers tortured prisoners in the Abu Ghraib prison. And indeed,
an investigation took place in the United States, the perpetrators were brought
to justice and public still has faith in justice.
Is Shavkat Mirziyoyev capable of taking a similar step
and consistently leading to complete liquidation of Jasliq?
It is extremely difficult for the government of
Uzbekistan to take such a step as long as Rustam Inoyatov, Zakirjon Almatov and
other political criminals of our times retain their presence in power. They
must be stripped of their status of immunity, which would be the beginning of
the eradication of torture and despotism. Without such a step, real justice will
not come about in the country.
Nadejda Ataeva,
President of the Association for Human Rights in Central Asia, France
