CCPR/C/114/D/2234/2013
The facts as presented by the author
2.1
On 1 July 2002, the author was arrested by two police officers, who did not inform
her of the reasons for her arrest. After the arrest, she was interrogated by the Head and the
Deputy Head of the Kirgulin Region Police Department about her human rights activities,
beaten and threatened with rape. On 2 July 2002, she was charged with offending an officer
and refusing to follow police orders. A judge ordered her release from detention, but
transferred the case to the District Procurator for further investigation. The case was
eventually dismissed for lack of evidence. On 5 September 2002, a criminal investigation
was opened into the author’s arrest and ill-treatment; however, the investigation was closed
without charge.
2.2
On 15 June and 20 August 2003, the author picketed the Regional Procurator’s
Office to protest against human rights violations. Both times, she was attacked by groups of
women, whom she believes to be prostitutes paid by the authorities to carry out the attacks,2
who beat her, destroyed her posters and stole her personal items. The second attack left her
hospitalized for 14 days. The authorities were present during the attacks but failed to
intervene, even filming the second incident instead. On both occasions, charges were filed
against the author for holding illegal demonstrations, but were dismissed by the courts on
14 August 2003 and 2 February 2004, respectively.
2.3
On 15 April 2005, unidentified officials in plain clothes arrested the author and
brought her to the Bektemir District Department of Internal Affairs, where she was
interrogated about her human rights activities and accused of spreading propaganda against
the Government. Subsequently, one of the police officers took her to an office where three
unidentified men beat her and took turns in raping her several times until she lost
consciousness. She was eventually released the same day without charge. After being
threatened by the Head of the Criminal Investigations and Anti-Terrorism Unit of the
Ferghana Police Department, she refrained from filing a complaint.
2.4
On 13 May 2005, the day of the Andijan events, the author was arrested and
detained at the Ferghana Police Department until 16 May 2005 without charge. During her
detention, she was not allowed to see her lawyer or her family.
2.5
On 7 October 2005, 30 heavily armed police officers arrested the author at her
home. Before being taken to the police station, she was charged with extortion. Her flat and
offices were searched and personal and work-related items were seized in her absence. She
was questioned for several hours about her organization and its funding. Her repeated
requests to have her lawyer present were rejected.
2.6
On 8 October 2005 at around 6 a.m., the author was transferred to a temporary
holding cell in the basement of the police station. She was allowed to see her lawyer for the
first time at around 5 p.m. on the same date. The police continued to question her for about
three hours, in the presence of her lawyer. The transcript of the interrogation, which the
author was asked to sign, did not reflect her testimony, and she refused to sign it. The
author was not presented to a judge for a review of the legality of her arrest. Contrary to
Uzbek law, she was not brought before a procurator for the first 10 days of her detention.
2.7
On or around 18 October 2005, the author was transferred to Ferghana Remand
Centre No. 10, where she was held until January 2006. On 29 January 2006, the author was
transferred to a cell in the basement of Kuyi Chirchik District Police Station, where she was
held until the end of her trial on 6 March 2006. During the detention, she was denied
medical care. She was placed in detention together with convicted persons. Her lawyers
2
The author submits articles describing cooperation between police and prostitutes in Uzbekistan.
3