Uzbekistan: Former Prosecutor General risks torture: Rashitjon Kadirov
Former Prosecutor General of Uzbekistan Rashitjon Kadirov and 12 co-defendants are standing trial in closed-door criminal proceedings. Credible reports allege that since his detention on 21 February 2018 Rashitjon Kadirov has been subjected to physical abuse, mock executions, sleep deprivation and other ill-treatment. He and his co-defendants continue to be at high risk of torture and other ill-treatment.
First UA: 44/19 Index: EUR 62/0170/2019 Uzbekistan Date: 8 April 2019
URGENT ACTION
FORMER PROSECUTOR GENERAL RISKS TORTURE
Former Prosecutor General of Uzbekistan Rashitjon Kadirov and 12 co-
defendants are standing trial in closed-door criminal proceedings. Credible
reports allege that since his detention on 21 February 2018 Rashitjon Kadirov
has been subjected to physical abuse, mock executions, sleep deprivation and
other ill-treatment. He and his co-defendants continue to be at high risk of
torture and other ill-treatment.
TAKE ACTION: WRITE AN APPEAL IN YOUR OWN WORDS OR USE THIS MODEL LETTER
President of Uzbekistan
Shavkat Mirziyoyev
Ploshad Mustakillik, 6
Tashkent,100078
Uzbekistan
Fax: +998 71 239 53 25
E-mail: presidents_office@press-service.uz
Dear President,
On 7 January 2019 a closed-door criminal trial began against former Prosecutor General and former
Judge of the Constitutional Court Rashitjon Kadirov and 12 co-defendants in Yunusabad District Criminal
Court. Rashitjon Kadirov has been charged under 12 articles of the Criminal Code including persecution
of innocent persons, bribery and embezzlement.
Rashitjon Kadirov has been held in pre-trial detention since 21 February 2018. Amnesty International
has received credible reports testifying that Rashitjon Kadirov has been subjected to physical abuse,
death threats, sleep deprivation and threats against his relatives, to force him to testify against himself
and others. Relatives have also asserted that Rashitjon Kadirov saw his family-appointed lawyer Alisher
Madyarov for the first time only in August 2018, six months into his detention. They claim that Rashitjon
Kadirov told his lawyer that he had sustained pressure from authorities to reject independent legal
representation. Rashitjon Kadyrov and his 12 co-defendants continue to be at risk of torture and ill-
treatment while in detention.
I urge you to ensure Rashitjon Kadirov and his 12 co-defendants are protected from torture and other
ill-treatment and that they have prompt access to necessary and adequate medical care. I also urge you
to launch an impartial investigation into the allegations of torture and ill-treatment against Rashitjon
Kadirov and his co-defendants and hold those responsible accountable.
Yours sincerely,
First UA: 44/19 Index: EUR 62/0170/2019 Uzbekistan Date: 8 April 2019
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Rashitjon Kadirov is being held in the pre-trial detention facility of the Ministry of the Interior in the Mirabadsky
district of Tashkent, Uzbekistan’s capital. The closed-door trial against Rashitjon Kadirov and 12 co-defendants
started on 7 January 2019. Amnesty International calls upon the Uzbek authorities to guarantee Rashitjon
Kadirov and his co-defendants a free and fair trial and to open it to independent observers and experts.
A witness who requested anonymity saw Rashitjon Kadirov in detention in August 2018 and reported that
Rashitjon Kadirov had a long furrow on his neck, which he believes was a sign of strangulation. The witness said
that Rashitjon Kadirov was noticeably depressed, withdrawn and barely able to respond to questions. Rashitjon
Kadirov reportedly told the witness that he shared a cell with three other prisoners who physically abused him
under orders of prison officials. He also reportedly stated that officials held a pistol to his head to force him to
confess, told him he would be hung, and the death made to look like suicide. They also reportedly kept him
naked in solitary confinement without a bed or bedding, regularly deprived him of sleep between 21 February and
18 March 2018, and threatened to frame him for a murder he did not commit.
Law enforcement officials have also reportedly forced Rashitjon Kadirov to watch his son-in-law endure physical
abuse to coerce him to testify against himself. Rashitjon Kadirov’s access to food, medicine and the toilet has
reportedly been restricted. In May 2018 Rashitjon Kadirov was taken to the prison hospital due to ill health.
Torture and the threat of torture have up until the recent past been used routinely in Uzbekistan to obtain forced
confessions, punish detainees, prisoners and their relatives, or extort money. Judges have relied on confessions
obtained under torture and handed down convictions based on them. They have also ignored or dismissed
defendants’ complaints of torture or other ill-treatment, even when presented with strong, credible evidence
(including injuries that occurred in custody and cannot be “accidental”).
After years of outright denial, the Uzbek authorities, including President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, publicly addressed
the problem of torture in Uzbek prisons. Key presidential pronouncements and decrees in 2017-2018
unequivocally condemned the use of torture. Despite these declarations, and as detailed above, Amnesty
International continues to receive reports of torture and other ill-treatment. In addition, impunity for past abuses
remains one of Uzbekistan’s biggest challenges.
PREFERRED LANGUAGE TO ADDRESS TARGET: Uzbek, Russian, English.
You can also write in your own language.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: 1 July 2019
Please check with the Amnesty office in your country if you wish to send appeals after the deadline.
NAME AND PREFFERED PRONOUN: Rashitjon Kadirov (he/him)