URGENT ACTION APPEAL
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30 July 2004
UA 234/04 Fear of imminent
execution/torture/ill-treatment
UZBEKISTAN
Ikram MUKHTAROV (m), aged 24
Yusuf ZHUMAYEV (m), aged 21
The two men named above have been sentenced to death,
having made a confession allegedly after torture. They have
exhausted their appeals, and could now be executed at any
time: international appeals could save their lives.
Yusuf Zhumayev was sentenced to death by Sukhandarya
regional court on 28 April 2003, convicted of murdering his
brother's wife and his niece and nephew in January that
year. He has consistently maintained his innocence and
alleged that he was tortured by police to force him to sign a
''confession''. He has said he was also threatened that his
parents and his sister Mukhabbat would be arrested if he
did not ''confess''. According to him and his parents, he was
hung upside down and beaten; he was also tortured with
electric shocks and had to lie down naked on a wet and cold
concrete floor. Yusuf Zhumayev testified during his trial
that he had been tortured, but his allegations were
reportedly not investigated.
His brother, who is the husband and father of the murder
victims, said: ''I do not believe my brother Yusuf is a
murderer. He never had any bad intentions against my
family and loved my children very much.''
In a separate case, Ikram Mukhtarov was sentenced to
death on 24 May 2004 by Tashkent city court, convicted of
murdering a woman and a man in May 2001. His allegation
that his ''confession'' was extracted under torture was
reportedly ignored in court.
The United Nations Human Rights Committee urged the
authorities of Uzbekistan on 19 July to stay these men's
executions, while it establishes whether provisions of the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights have
been violated in their cases. However, the Uzbek
authorities have ignored similar interventions in at least 12
previous cases.
In Uzbekistan relatives of death row prisoners are not
informed of the date of the execution in advance and there
are strong indications that the prisoners themselves are not
given advance notice either.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Following his visit to Uzbekistan in November and
December 2002, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on
torture concluded that ''torture or similar ill-treatment is
systematic'' in Uzbekistan. In his February 2003 report, he
noted that ''the abolition of the death penalty would be a
positive step towards respect for the prohibition of torture
and other forms of ill-treatment.''
Since 2000 the death sentences of at least 13 prisoners have
been replaced by prison terms in cases that Amnesty
International has taken up.
In September 2001, President Islam Karimov publicly
stated that around 100 people were executed in Uzbekistan
each year. As vital information on the application of the
death penalty is treated as a secret in Uzbekistan,
comprehensive official information on the numbers of
sentences passed and executions carried out is not publicly
available. Several local human rights groups believe that
more than 200 people are executed in Uzbekistan every
year.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to
arrive as quickly as possible:
- urging the President to commute Yusuf Zhumayev and
Ikram Mukhtarov's death sentences and all other death
sentences that come before him;
- urging the authorities to abide by the 19 July 2004 request
by the United Nations Human Rights Committee to stay the
men's executions while their cases are being considered,
and thereby honour Uzbekistan's obligation as a party to the
Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights;
- expressing concern about allegations that Yusuf
Zhumayev and Ikram Mukhtarov were tortured and ill-
treated in pre-trial detention and urging the authorities to
open impartial and thorough investigations into these
allegations with anybody found responsible brought to
justice.
APPEALS TO: Please note that it may be difficult to
send faxes. If a voice answers during office hours,
repeat 'fax' until connected; fax machines may be
switched off outside office hours (10 hours ahead of
Eastern Daylight Time)
President of Uzbekistan:
Islam Abduganiyevich KARIMOV
Respublika Uzbekistan
700163 g. Tashkent
ul. Uzbekistanskaya, 43
Rezidentsia prezidenta
Prezidentu RU
KARIMOVU I.A.
UZBEKISTAN
Salutation: Dear President Karimov
Minister of Foreign Affairs:
Sodiq Solihovich SAFOYEV
Respublika Uzbekistan
700029 g. Tashkent
pl. Mustakillik, 5
Ministerstvo inostrannykh del RU
Ministru Safoyevu, S.S.
UZBEKISTAN
Fax: 011 998 71 139 15 17
Salutation: Dear Minister
COPIES TO:
General Procurator of the Republic of Uzbekistan:
Rashidjon Hamidovich KODIROV
Respublika Uzbekistan
700047 g. Tashkent
ul. Gulyamova, 66
Prokuratura Respubliki Uzbekistan
Generalnomu prokuroru KODIROVU R. Kh
UZBEKISTAN
Fax: 011 998 71 133 39 17
Salutation: Dear Procurator General
Ambassador Abdoulaziz Kamilov
Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan
1746 Massachusetts Ave NW
Washington DC 20036-1903
Fax: 1 202 293 6804
Please send appeals immediately. Check with the
Colorado office between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm,
Mountain Time, weekdays only, if sending appeals after
September 10, 2004.
Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots
movement that promotes and defends human
rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept
intact, including contact information and stop
action date (if applicable). Thank you for your
help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
PO Box 1270
Nederland CO 80466-1270
Email: u...@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 303 258 1170
Fax: 303 258 7881
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END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
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