Turkmenistan: Drop New Charges, Release Civic Activist Murat Dushemov

 

The Norwegian Helsinki Committee, Turkmen.News, Turkmen Initiative forHuman Rights, International Partnership for Human Rights and Association forHuman Rights in Cental Asia (AHRCA) call on authorities in Turkmenistan to drop new criminal charges initiated against civic activist Murat Dushemov in apparent retaliation for his activism and to release him immediately.

Turkmen civil activist and political prisoner Murat Dushemov did not return home after the end of his unjust four-year prison sentence on June 14, 2025. According to information from Turkmen.News, authorities initiated new criminal charges against him shortly before his anticipated release, allegedly over a fight with a fellow prisoner – an incident believed to have been staged to incriminate him. He currently remains in  detention, with the trial on the new charges expected soon.

Murat Dushemov was originally imprisoned in 2021 on charges of extortion and infliction of bodily harm, widely viewed as  retaliation for his peaceful civic activism. He had publicly challenged the Turkmen government’s denial of the COVID-19 pandemic, questioned the legal basis of mask mandates and vaccination requirements, and refused to comply without justification—actions that led to repeated harassment and politically motivated charges. At that time, Dushemov was also accused of allegedly attacking and injuring co-detainees.

Both human rights defenders and international experts have expressed serious concerns about the politically-motivated nature of the charges leading to Dushemov’s 2021 prison sentence. During its review of Turkmenistan in 2023, the UN Human Rights Committee called for his release – an issue the government promised to consider. However, it has failed to follow through on this commitment.

The new alleged prison incident  involving Dushemov—used to justify the fresh charges— appears to be a fabricated pretext to extend his detention and penalize him for continuing to stand up for his rights while in prison.

Dushemov is accused of injuring a fellow prisoner during a fight. However, in a message conveyed through his lawyer, the activist firmly denied the charges and stated that the new case against him is the result of a deliberate provocation. Dushemov said: “The person who filed the complaint against me deliberately injured himself by hitting a wall, he then smeared it with his own blood, and  falsely accused me. They’re trying to slander me again to prolong my detention.”

For several days after the expiration of Dushemov’s sentence, his family had no information about his whereabouts. It was only thanks to the persistent efforts of his mother, Tyazegul Mammedova, that they learned that he had been transferred from prison LB-E/12 in Lebap region – where head been serving his sentence – to detention center LB-D/9 (also known as "Abdy-Shukur" prison) in Turkmenabat. Although his mother visited the detention center twice, she was not allowed to see him, with prison guards indicating that a visit might only be possible after his trial. She also did not receive any information about the new charges against him. However, during Mammedova’s second visit on June 23, she was permitted to leave a parcel for her son, and she met with his state-appointed lawyer, who conveyed the message from him quoted above.

There are credible signs that the Turkmen security services are seeking to suppress information about the case. The Dushemov family's communication with contacts abroad appears to have been intentionally hindered. On June 24, an unidentified man visited their home in Bezmein, falsely claiming to respond to a Wi-Fi service request, after which their internet connection was cut off.

Moreover, in a further worrying development, the family reportedly faced additional pressure following a heartfelt video appeal addressed to President Serdar Berdymukhamedov by Tyazegul Mammedova. In the appeal, Mammedova insisted on her son’s innocence and urged the president to intervene, saying she ‘’couldn’t bear’’ to see him imprisoned again. After the appeal was published on June 25, Murat Dushemov’s younger brother, Alty, received a phone call from a local court official inquiring about his alimony payments — a call that appeared intended to intimidate him.

We call on the Turkmen government to immediately and unconditionally release Murat Dushemov and to stop harassing him and his family for his peaceful exercise of civic freedoms. Turkmenistan’s international partners should also press for Dushemov’s release and for an end to the broader pattern of persecution targeting civic activists, journalists and others critical of the Turkmen authorities.

 

 

Uzbekistan: 20-year anniversary of the Andijan events: time to face up to the pas

 

The Uzbekistani authorities continue to suppress the memory of the Andijan tragedy

Twenty years after the massacre in Andijan, victims and witnesses remain fearful of speaking out about the events that claimed hundreds of civilian lives, as the authorities continue to suppress the truth about the tragedy, the Association for Human Rights in Central Asia (AHRCA), the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC) and International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) said in a statement today. The three organisations called on the Uzbekistani authorities to finally facilitate an independent and transparent investigation into the tragic events to ensure accountability and deliver justice to the many victims.

On 13 May 2005, thousands of protestors gathered in front of the Andijan regional administration building amid rumours that President Karimov would would arrive that day to meet with them. The crowd included supporters of 23 Andijan entrepreneurs who were on trial for extremism due to their alleged membership in the banned Akramiya organisation. Protesters also voiced broader grievances related to social issues and perceived misconduct by state officials. In response, law enforcement authorities used disproportionate and indiscriminate force, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of civilians. While official figures put the death toll at 187, refugees from Andijan estimate the number to be much higher. Following these events, thousands of people were reportedly forced into exile.

The international community unanimously condemned the excessive violence used against protestors in Andijan and called for an independent international investigation. This was rejected by Tashkent. In response, the European Union imposed sanctions on Uzbekistan, banning 12 officials from entering the EU, imposing an arms embargo, and partially suspending its Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with Uzbekistan. The sanctions were gradually eased over the following years before being fully lifted in 2009. The US also condemned the Uzbekistani government's actions in Andijan and closed its military base in Khanabad.

In the aftermath of the Andijan events, the authorities launched a large-scale crackdown on civil society, during which hundreds of witnesses to the events reportedly were arrested for openly supporting calls for an independent international investigation. By spring 2006, almost 40 human rights activists and journalists had been imprisoned on trumped-up charges – a number that continued to grow in the subsequent period. The names of civil society activists and political emigrants were reportedly listed by the security services alongside the names of terrorists.

Most of those who fled Uzbekistan after the Andijan events later lost their Uzbekistani citizenship due to the government’s restrictive policies and have been unable to regain it, although some have been allowed to visit the country for short periods. 

Even years after the 2005 protests, former Andijan residents have been prosecuted and convicted for their participation in the 2005 protests. For example, on 5 January 2023, Kayumov Mukhamadvali was sentenced to over 15 years in prison on such charges. After living in Sweden for 18 years, separated from his wife and children, he returned to Uzbekistan based on assurances from the Uzbekistani embassy in Sweden that it would be safe for him to do so.

When President Mirziyoyev came to power in 2016, he ordered the release of dozens of imprisoned civil society activists, journalists and others, and announced systemic reforms to address past injustices and open up Uzbekistan to the international community. President Mirziyoyev’s early steps ushered in a cautious optimism and earned his regime an improved international image.

However, in recent years Uzbekistan has experienced backsliding on human rights and a shrinking space for freedom of expression and dissent. In this context, witnesses to the Andijan tragedy remain fearful of speaking out. At the same time, despite President Mirziyoyev’s pledges to address past injustices, authorities have yet to bring the perpetrators of the unlawful killings in Andijan to justice and still refuse to verify information about reported mass graves related to the events. They have taken no transparent steps to clarify the circumstances of the 2005 tragedy and continue to refuse calls from the international community to conduct an independent international investigation. Most of the human rights defenders and journalists who were imprisoned for documenting the Andijan events have not been rehabilitated, although released, and there are reports that security officials have threatened them with renewed arrest should they actively pursue this matter.

In another apparent attempt to avoid confronting the past, works are currently being carried out at the site of the Andijan events, with a business centre planned for Bobur square where the violence took place. 

We are deeply concerned that the current Uzbekistani administration has failed to address impunity for both the 2005 abuses in Andijan and more recent gross violations – particularly the violent suppression of mass protests in Karakalpakstan in July 2022, when at least 21 people died according to official figures, with unofficial sources estimating a much higher toll. AHRCA, NHC and IPHR call on the Uzbekistani authorities to take decisive action to thoroughly and impartially investigate these injustices and ensure accountability– a crucial step toward building a society based on the rule of law. The three organisations also call on the international community, including the European Union, to reaffirm their demands for justice – both for the atrocities committed in Andijan and for the more recent deaths in Karakalpakstan.

 

Joint Appeal to French President Macron: Raise Pressing Human Rights Concerns During Uzbek President Mirziyoyev’s Visit

 

As Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev pays an official state visit to France on 11-13 March 2025, the Association for Human Rights in Central Asia (AHRCA), International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC) call on President Emmanuel Macron to raise the alarming deterioration of freedom of expression and the persecution of independent social media commentators in Uzbekistan during his meetings with President Mirziyoyev.

Despite official commitments to reform, Uzbekistani authorities continue to suppress free speech, using criminal prosecution and even forced psychiatric detention to silence critical voices. Independent journalists, bloggers, and social media commentators who highlight corruption, nepotism, or other politically sensitive issues risk harassment, detention, and imprisonment. Uzbekistan’s ranking in the 2024 Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index dropped significantly, reflecting the worsening climate for free expression.

Despite official commitments to reform, Uzbekistani authorities continue to suppress free speech, using criminal prosecution and even forced psychiatric detention to silence critical voices. Independent journalists, bloggers, and social media commentators who highlight corruption, nepotism, or other politically sensitive issues risk harassment, detention, and imprisonment. Uzbekistan’s ranking in the 2024 Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index dropped significantly, reflecting the worsening climate for free expression.

The following two cases – involving the abuse of psychiatric detention to silence dissent - illustrate the repression faced by independent voices in Uzbekistan:

― Shahida Salomova, a 62-year-old human rights defender and administrator of a popular blog providing legal guidance to victims of unlawful house demolitions, has been arbitrarily detained in psychiatric hospitals since 2023. She was arrested on defamation charges after a social media post in which she condemned polygamy, referring to an alleged case involving a close relative of the president. She is currently held in the Republican Psychiatric Hospital of Intensive Observation in Tashkent, where she is reportedly administered psychotropic medication against her will and kept in full isolation from the outside world. Her health conditions, including diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, and others, have reportedly deteriorated in detention.

― Validjon Kalonov, a blogger who criticized Uzbekistan’s relations with China and called for democratic change, was detained on charges of insulting the president in 2021 and forcibly placed in a psychiatric hospital in Jizzak region. Recently, he attempted suicide while in detention, highlighting the severe psychological toll of Uzbekistan’s repression. While his life was saved, his current health condition remains unknown.

For these reasons, we are deeply concerned about the current health and well-being of Salomova and Kalonov.

The misuse of psychiatric detention for political persecution is a deeply troubling practice reminiscent of Soviet-era abuses. It has no place in a country that claims to be pursuing democratic reforms.

As France strengthens its economic and political ties with Uzbekistan, we urge President Macron to place human rights at the centre of these discussions. Specifically, we call on him to:

• Urge President Mirziyoyev to end the persecution of independent human rights defenders, bloggers, and social media commentators, including the use of punitive psychiatric detention; and to ensure the immediate release of Shahida Salomova, Validjon Kalonov, and others detained for peacefully exercising their freedom of expression;

• Press Uzbekistan to uphold its international human rights obligations, including freedom of expression, fair trial rights, the right to liberty and security, and freedom from torture and ill-treatment.

France has long been a champion of press freedom and human rights. This visit presents a critical opportunity to reaffirm these principles and advocate for those whose voices have been silenced. We urge President Macron to stand in solidarity with Uzbekistan’s independent voices and to ensure that human rights remain central to French-Uzbek relations.