When an Uzbekistan court on May 1 found the Karakalpak lawyer and blogger Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov guilty of committing “actions disrupting the work of a penal institution,” sentencing him to five years in prison, he reportedly had a wry grin on his face.
However unjust, Tazhimuratov surely expected such an outcome.
Tazhimuratov was already in prison, serving a 16-year sentence on politically motivated charges related to his alleged role in July 2022 protests that took place in Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan’s autonomous republic. The court combined his sentences to total his prison time at 18 and a half years.
At his latest trial, Uzbek authorities appear to have violated Tazhimuratov’s rights as a defendant. He was not represented by a lawyer of his own choosing. His brother, Renat Tazhimuratov, told Human Rights Wach that his family had not been informed of the proceedings in advance and several hearings had already taken place before they learned of the ongoing trial. Renat also said that he tried to attend a hearing on April 10, but was not allowed into the courtroom.
This is not the first time Uzbek authorities have violated Tazhimuratov’s human rights. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, in November 2024, found that Tazhimuratov’s detention in connection with the Karakalpakstan protests is arbitrary, concluding that the appropriate response is to “release Mr. Tazhimuratov immediately” and provide him reparations. The government continues to blatantly ignore this decision.
Authorities have also failed to adequately respond to Tazhimuratov’s allegations that he has been ill-treated and tortured while in prison.
Why the authorities decided to criminally prosecute Tazhimuratov for his behavior in prison yet turned a blind eye to his multiple allegations of mistreatment in prison is clear. After his latest conviction, Uzbekistan’s criminal justice system now considers Tazhimuratov an “especially dangerous repeat offender,” which means he will be subject to more restrictive prison conditions than before.
To quell the July 2022 protests in Karakalpakstan, security forces used excessive force, including unjustified lethal force. Although 21 people were killed, there has been almost no accountability for the deaths and grave injuries that occurred.
There’s been no accountability for Tazhimuratov’s prolonged, arbitrary detention, either. Releasing Tazhimuratov from his unjust imprisonment is the place to start. Ensuring that no one is unjustly locked up for exercising their right to freedom of expression is the ideal.
