Uzbekistan

(WAN/IFEX) – The following is a WAN press release: New York City, 25 November 2003 Uzbek Journalist Wins Golden Pen of Freedom Ruslan Sharipov, an imprisoned Uzbek journalist, has been awarded the 2004 Golden Pen of Freedom, the annual press freedom prize of the World Association of Newspapers, for his courageous resistance to attacks, torture […]

(HRW/IFEX) – The following is a Human Rights Watch press release: Uzbekistan: Human Rights Defender Loses Appeal (New York, September 26, 2003) – An Uzbek court upheld the conviction of a human rights defender for homosexual conduct in violation of his basic rights, Human Rights Watch said today. Ruslan Sharipov, a journalist and human rights […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – The following is an 11 September 2003 CPJ press release: UZBEKISTAN: Imprisoned journalist reports being tortured New York, September 11, 2003-The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has learned that Ruslan Sharipov, a jailed Uzbek journalist and human rights activist, issued a statement from prison on September 5 reporting that he pled guilty to […]

(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has called on the Uzbek government to comment on the recent blocking of the website of a local freedom of expression group, Ozod Ovoz, which often carries criticism of Uzbek President Islam Karimov. The authorities regularly censor such critical news websites. Ozodovoz.org, launched in April 2003 as an outlet for those who […]

(HRW/IFEX) – The following is a 30 August 2003 Human Rights Watch press release: Uzbekistan: Uzbek Rights Activist Kidnapped and Beaten Repressive Grip Tightens Prior to Independence Day (New York, August 30, 2003) – The Uzbek government should fully investigate the kidnapping and severe beating of a human rights defender in Tashkent, Human Rights Watch […]

(RSF/IFEX) – On 29 August 2003, RSF called on the European Union (EU) and Western countries’ embassies to push for the release of jailed Uzbek journalist and human rights activist Ruslan Sharipov, who says he pleaded guilty to sex charges at his recent trial after being physically and psychologically ill treated. RSF also called on […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – In an 18 August 2003 letter to President Islam Karimov, CPJ said it believes the arrest, conviction and imprisonment of journalist and human rights activist Ruslan Sharipov are part of a politically-motivated campaign to suppress press freedom in Uzbekistan. Police and the security service have threatened and harassed Sharipov for several years because […]

(WAN/IFEX) – In a 15 August 2003 letter to President Islam Karimov, WAN and the World Editors Forum expressed their serious concern at the five-and-a-half-year jail sentence given to independent journalist Ruslan Sharipov. According to reports, on 13 August a Tashkent court sentenced Sharipov, a journalist and human rights defender, to five and a half […]

(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has voiced deep concern over the ongoing trial of Ruslan Sharipov, president of the press freedom organisation Union of Independent Journalists of Uzbekistan (UIJU) and former correspondent for the Russian news agency Prima News, who is imprisoned on charges of homosexuality and sexually abusing minors. Although he has repeatedly denied the sexual […]

(HRW/IFEX) – The following is a Human Rights Watch press release: Uzbekistan: Rights Defender Faces Discriminatory Charges Trial Raises Fear of Torture (Tashkent, August 12, 2003) – An Uzbek rights defender on trial for alleged homosexual conduct should be released from custody immediately, Human Rights Watch said today. The closed-door trial of rights defender and […]

(HRW/IFEX) – The following is a Human Rights Watch press release: Uzbekistan: Rights Defender Detained on Homosexuality Charges (New York, May 29, 2003)–Uzbek authorities have detained rights defender Ruslan Sharipov and two colleagues for what appear to be politically motivated reasons, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch called on the Uzbek government to […]

(RSF/IFEX) – On 28 May 2003, RSF voiced deep concern about the arrests in the past two days of three members of the Union of Independent Journalists of Uzbekistan (UIJU), a press freedom organisation, two of them on charges of homosexuality and sex with minors. The organisation also deplored an attempt by a state-owned television […]

(JuHI/IFEX) – According to several sources, including JuHI’s Tashkent-based partner organisation, Ozod Ovoz (Free Voice), two journalists were recently dismissed from Uzbekistan state television (UzTV). Ahmadjon Ibrahimov, a senior producer of the programme “Siyosat” (Politics), lost his job on 6 May 2003. Ilmira Hasanova, producer of the talk show “Talking Briefly…”, was then dismissed on […]

(Freedom House/IFEX) – The following is a 24 March 2003 Freedom House press release: UZBEKISTAN LAUNCHES MAJOR CRACKDOWN ON INDEPENDENT PRESS NEW YORK, March 24, 2003 — Freedom House today expressed deep concern over a new wave of crackdowns on journalists in Uzbekistan. Press freedom, already fragile in that country, is now under more severe […]

(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has voiced its outrage over the beatings inflicted on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty stringer Khusnudtin Kutbetdinov and Voice of America stringer Yussuf Rassulov by some 15 thugs in Tashkent on 7 March 2003. The attack came as the correspondents were covering the forced dispersion of women who had been protesting the arrests […]

(RSF/IFEX) – On 26 February 2003, RSF expressed its concern over the sentencing of an Uzbek journalist to seven years’ imprisonment. The organisation suggested his conviction was little more than an excuse to crack down on the media and regime opponents in general. On 18 February, a Tashkent court found journalist Gayrat Mekhliboyev guilty of […]