HRW demands Kazakhstan reject Uzbekistan's request and not extradite four activists

MADRID, 15 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The NGO Human Rights Watch has urged the Kazakh authorities this Saturday not to extradite four activists from the Karakalpak diaspora to Uzbekistan, because there they would face a great risk of being prosecuted and tortured for political reasons, since they have participated in the protests. to defend the sovereignty of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, in the north of the country.

HRW Central Asia researcher Mihra Rittman assured that there is no doubt that they would face these consequences if they were forcibly returned to Uzbekistan and recalled that Kazakhstan is prohibited from sending them back in these circumstances, so has demanded that they reject the request and release the activists.

The charges facing each of them have not been made public, however they are thought to be related to the events that took place in Karakalpakstan on July 1-2, when at least 21 people were killed and more than 240 injured after that the police violently broke up protests in Nukus and other cities in Karakalpakstan against proposed constitutional amendments that want to remove the region's right to independence.

In recent years, human rights organizations have documented numerous cases of torture and other ill-treatment, as well as arbitrary arrests of people accused of crimes against the state in Uzbekistan.

In 2020, the United Nations Human Rights Committee expressed concern about "continued reports of torture and ill-treatment, including sexual violence and rape, by prison officers and law enforcement personnel" against women. persons deprived of their liberty, including persons detained on politically motivated charges".

In addition, the committee noted its concern about "the high level of impunity that exists in these cases, manifested by the low number of investigations, prosecutions and convictions under article 235 of the Penal Code, and by the lenient sentences that are often imposed. to the perpetrators."

The NGO has recalled that international treaties signed by Kazakhstan take precedence over bilateral agreements it may have signed with Uzbekistan, so it should "take note" of reports of torture and ill-treatment when considering extradition requests from Uzbek authorities.