Alisher Karamatov
Encyclopedia
Alisher Karamatov is a currently-imprisoned Uzbekistan
i rural development
activist. Amnesty International
considers him a prisoner of conscience
and named him a 2011 "priority case".
Before his arrest, Karmatov was an activist with the Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan in Guliston
, Sirdaryo Province
. On 29 April 2006, Karmatov was arrested along with fellow activist Azam Farmonov
and charged with extortion. The two later reported torture by security forces, including partial suffocation
with a disconnected gas mask
and beatings on the legs and heels. Human Rights Watch
condemned the trial and stated that it "appear[ed] to be a politically motivated effort to stop their human rights work" in keeping with a recent pattern of suspicious charges against human rights workers. Front Line
also described the arrests as politically motivated and "part of an ongoing campaign against human rights defenders in Uzbekistan". Amnesty International
likewise condemned the charges and called for the "immediate and unconditional release" of Karamatov and Farmonov. Uzbekistani government officials, however, denied that the extortion charges were politically motivated.
Both men were convicted and sentenced to nine years in prison. In 2011, Amnesty International reported that Karamatov "had been subjected to torture, beatings and humiliation by prison guards since 2007 while held at Karshi prison camp and had lost nearly half his body weight." In October 2008, he was transferred to Sangorodok, a prison hospital facility near Tashkent
, where he was treated for tuberculosis
. His wife visited in a month later and reported that he was in poor health, with low body weight and difficulty eating; a prison doctor confirmed that Karmatov had tuberculosis in both lungs. His wife alleged that he continued to be mistreated by prison guards, being forced to stand in freezing temperatures for hours on 8 December 2008 without a hat or coat.
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
i rural development
Rural development
Rural development in general denotes economic development and community development actions and initiatives taken to improve the standard of living in non-urban neighbourhoods, remote villages and the countryside...
activist. Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
considers him a prisoner of conscience
Prisoner of conscience
Prisoner of conscience is a term defined in Peter Benenson's 1961 article "The Forgotten Prisoners" often used by the human rights group Amnesty International. It can refer to anyone imprisoned because of their race, religion, or political views...
and named him a 2011 "priority case".
Before his arrest, Karmatov was an activist with the Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan in Guliston
Guliston
Guliston also spelled as Gulistan , formerly known as Mirzachul , is the capital of Sirdarya Province in eastern Uzbekistan. It lies in the southeastern part of the Mirzachül steppe, 75 miles southwest of Tashkent. It has an approx. population of 77,300...
, Sirdaryo Province
Sirdaryo Province
Sirdarya Province is a viloyat of Uzbekistan, located in the center of the country on the left bank of Syr Darya River. It borders with , Tajikstan, Toshkent Province and Jizzakh Province. It covers an area of 5,100 km², and is mostly desert, with the Starving Steppe taking up a significant...
. On 29 April 2006, Karmatov was arrested along with fellow activist Azam Farmonov
Azam Farmonov
Azam Farmonov is a currently-imprisoned Uzbekistani rural development activist. Amnesty International considers him a prisoner of conscience and named him a 2011 "priority case".Farmonov has a wife, Ozoda Yakubova, and two children...
and charged with extortion. The two later reported torture by security forces, including partial suffocation
Suffocation
Suffocation is the process of Asphyxia.Suffocation may also refer to:* Suffocation , an American death metal band* "Suffocation", a song on Morbid Angel's debut album, Altars of Madness...
with a disconnected gas mask
Gas mask
A gas mask is a mask put on over the face to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gases. The mask forms a sealed cover over the nose and mouth, but may also cover the eyes and other vulnerable soft tissues of the face. Some gas masks are also respirators, though the word...
and beatings on the legs and heels. Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
condemned the trial and stated that it "appear[ed] to be a politically motivated effort to stop their human rights work" in keeping with a recent pattern of suspicious charges against human rights workers. Front Line
Front Line (NGO)
Front Line or The International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders is an Irish-based human rights organisation founded in Dublin, Ireland in 2001 to protect human rights defenders at risk, i.e...
also described the arrests as politically motivated and "part of an ongoing campaign against human rights defenders in Uzbekistan". Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
likewise condemned the charges and called for the "immediate and unconditional release" of Karamatov and Farmonov. Uzbekistani government officials, however, denied that the extortion charges were politically motivated.
Both men were convicted and sentenced to nine years in prison. In 2011, Amnesty International reported that Karamatov "had been subjected to torture, beatings and humiliation by prison guards since 2007 while held at Karshi prison camp and had lost nearly half his body weight." In October 2008, he was transferred to Sangorodok, a prison hospital facility near Tashkent
Tashkent
Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and of the Tashkent Province. The officially registered population of the city in 2008 was about 2.2 million. Unofficial sources estimate the actual population may be as much as 4.45 million.-Early Islamic History:...
, where he was treated for tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. His wife visited in a month later and reported that he was in poor health, with low body weight and difficulty eating; a prison doctor confirmed that Karmatov had tuberculosis in both lungs. His wife alleged that he continued to be mistreated by prison guards, being forced to stand in freezing temperatures for hours on 8 December 2008 without a hat or coat.