Abdurakhmon Tashanov, chairman of the human rights society Ezgulik, has alleged persecution of the organization’s activist Javokhir Muminov, who was arrested in the Kashkadarya region on charges of extortion.
Tashanov reported this on his Telegram channel on June 8.
According to Tashanov, the criminal case is linked to Muminov’s work defending Jura Akbarov, a resident of Karshi. He claims that Akbarov was previously beaten by officers of the Bureau of Compulsory Enforcement under the prosecutor’s office for failing to pay alimony, suffering a broken arm and tendon injuries.
Tashanov said Muminov was detained the previous day at an auto repair shop. The rights activist has been charged under Part 3 of Article 165 of Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code (extortion).
The head of Ezgulik said that the Karshi city prosecutor’s office had opened a criminal case against a Bureau of Compulsory Enforcement officer under an article covering the infliction of moderate bodily harm. According to Tashanov, Muminov represented Akbarov in that case.
Tashanov further claims that Akbarov demanded 50 million soums from the Bureau officer to pay for surgery to repair his injured arm. According to him, the money was transferred to a bank card registered in Akbarov’s wife’s name, after which a complaint was filed with law enforcement authorities. As a result, Akbarov, his wife and Muminov were accused of extortion and placed in custody.
Tashanov described the charges against the rights activist as fabricated and said Muminov had become a target because of his professional activities.
According to the Ezgulik chairman, law enforcement officers in the Kashkadarya region had allegedly attempted to detain Muminov before. He also claims that the activist had submitted complaints to the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Presidential Administration.
“Javokhir Muminov has been persecuted for his professional activities. The charges brought against him are fabricated and legally absurd,” Tashanov wrote.
Tashanov linked Muminov’s arrest to his work collecting information about alleged falsification of criminal cases and the use of so-called “fake victims.” In his statement, he said he possesses materials concerning corruption and abuses within the region’s law enforcement system but cannot disclose them because of the secrecy of the investigation.
At the time of publication, no official comments from law enforcement agencies in the Kashkadarya region or other state bodies regarding Tashanov’s claims had been released.
We were also unable to independently verify the circumstances described in the publication. All allegations regarding the possible fabrication of the case, persecution of the rights activist and misconduct by law enforcement officials are claims made by Abdurakhmon Tashanov and require confirmation by investigators and the courts.
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