Uzbekistan: Free Journalist Muhammad Bekzhanov
- by: Amnesty International Canada
- recipient: President Karimov
Muhammad Bekzhanov is one of the world's longest-imprisoned journalists. Uzbek authorities seem determined to keep him behind bars and silence his voice.
Persecution, harassment and intimidation forced Muhammad Bekzhanov to leave Uzbekistan in 1993 while he was editor-in-chief of Erk (Freedom), the main opposition newspaper.
In 1999, Ukrainian authorities forcibly returned Muhammad Bekzhanov to Uzbekistan. He was detained by security forces and tortured with beatings, suffocation and electric shocks. During his trial, he and his co-defendants described how they were forced to confess to fabricated charges of a bombing. The judge ignored the torture complaints and sentenced him to 15 years based entirely on the confession.
Days before Muhammad Bekzhanov was due to be released, his sentence was increased by over four more years for allegedly breaking prison rules. His family are concerned about his declining health.
There has been no effective investigation into the allegations of torture. Repeated calls for a fair trial have been ignored.
The international press freedom organization Reporters Sans Frontieres (Reporters Without Borders) awarded Muhammad Bekzhanov the International Press Freedom Prize in 2013. The award "salute[s] the exemplary courage of men and women for whom reporting the news is a daily battle."
Call for the release of Muhammad Bekzhanov.
Journalist Muhammad Bekzhanov has spent the last 16 years in prison following an unfair trial in which he was sentenced on the basis of a confession he made after being beaten, suffocated and given electric shocks. No proper investigation into his torture has ever been conducted and repeated calls for a fair retrial have been ignored. There are further concerns about his declining health.
Uzbekistan is party to international human rights treaties which prohibit torture and the use of torture-tainted evidence in court.
I urgently call on you to:
- Ensure the prompt release of Muhammad Bekzhanov.
- Ensure an independent and thorough investigation into allegations that he was tortured in custody.
- Explicitly prohibit the use of torture to obtain testimony or confessions and the use of torture-tainted evidence in court.
[Your comments here]
Sincerely,
[Your name]
By signing, you accept Care2's Terms of Service.
You can unsub at any time here.
Having problems signing this? Let us know.