Former diplomat Kadyr Yusupov passed away
on 14 November 2024 at the age of 73. The Association for Human Rights in
Central Asia (AHRCA), Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (HFHR),
International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR), and the Norwegian Helsinki
Committee (NHC) send their sincere condolences to his family and friends.
Following his conviction in January 2020,
Yusupov first served his sentence in the KIN-4 penal colony in Navoi (southwest
Uzbekistan), where he was allegedly subjected to torture and held in deplorable
detention conditions that seriously endangered his health and well-being. He
was subsequently transferred to the KIN-42 settlement colony in the Zangiata
district of Tashkent region, where he was for the last two and a half years
prior to his release.
In December 2018 he was arrested on charges
of treason which appear to have been based on a statement he made during a
psychotic episode, when he was undergoing medical treatment. Whilst in hospital, suffering from
brain trauma and clearly confused, Yusupov reportedly said that he had been a
spy for the West. There are credible allegations that state security officers
repeatedly threatened Yusupov in pre-trial detention, saying that he, his wife
and daughter would be raped unless he confessed to the accusations.
In January 2020 he was found guilty of
treason before being imprisoned for five and a half years following a closed,
unfair trial, during which Yusupov maintained his innocence.
Yusupov reported that he had been subjected
to torture in the prison colony KIN-4 in Navoi (southwest Uzbekistan), where he
served his sentence from January 2020 to December 2021. He suffered from poor prison conditions, as
described inan opinion adopted by the
the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detentionon
4 June 2021: “ The detention of Mr. Yusupov took place in deplorable
conditions, which is especially alarming noting his state of health. He was
also denied medication and treatment for the very serious health conditions
from which he suffers.”
In December 2021, he was transferred to the
penal colony-settlement KIN-42 in the Zangiata district of Tashkent region,
where he reported that he was treated humanely.
He was released on 10 June 2024, after
serving his full sentence.However, following his release, Yusupov was placed
under administrative supervision for a year, with restrictions on his freedom
of movement and participation in public
events.
Despite his release, the post-traumatic stress following his
treatment at the hands of the Uzbekistani authorities took its toll. Yusupov
suffered from depression and disillusionment in his search for justice in the
days before his death. After his release he reportedly often told his children:
".. my most beloved ones, I am tired.."
We call on the Uzbekistani authorities to
fulfil their international human rights commitments as reflected in the opinion
of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which found his detention to be
arbitrary, and urged the government of Uzbekistan “to ensure a full and
independent investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Yusupov’s arbitrary
deprivation of liberty and to take appropriate action against those responsible
for violating his rights.” These recommendations remain fully relevant despite
Kadyr Yusupov’s tragic passing.
