Open Appeal
To
Immigration Court
Executive
Office for Immigration Review
State
of Minnesota
US
Department of Justice
Open
Appeal: Grant Political Asylum to Uzbek democratic oppositionists Alimdjan Tashniyazov and
Khudaykul Hafizov.
The
Congress of Democratic Uzbekistan which unites around 500 democratic activists
in Uzbekistan and has thousands of supporters in the country and many
dozen members in the US, asks you grant political asylum to Uzbek citizens
Alimdjon Tashniyazov and Khudaykul Hafizov.
According
to information in our possession, these two Uzbeks are under deportation
procedures and being held in the Washington County Jail; Stillwater, MN 55082.
As
well-documented by the US State Department, UN Human Rights agencies, and
many other sources, individuals who oppose and criticize policies of
the Uzbek government persecuted very often. According to the same
sources, use of torture in Uzbekistan is a wide-spread practice. Torture is used
by Uzbek police and security agents both against political/religious dissent
and non-political suspects.
Alimdjon
Tashniyazov and Khudaykul Hafizov will face intimidation, very much
likely arrest on false charges and possibly torture for their expressed
political opinion about the nature of non-democratic political regime in
Uzbekistan. They published on several Russian-language Internet sites number of
articles very critical of the Uzbek government policies, particularly regarding
nearly lack of democracy, poor respect for human rights, police abuse,
corruption and deteriorating economic situation. The Congress of
Democratic Uzbekistan and editor of its website certifies that these
articles appeared under pen name (pseudonym) Milat Jumayev and Aydin Dinarov,
were actually written by Alimdjon Tashniyazov and Khudaykul Hafizov.
Alimdjon
Tashniyazov and Khudaykul Hafizov also translated into Russian and helped
to publish on the Internet sites article "Black shadow of
Gulnora" about Uzbek President Karimov's alleged plan to install his
daughter Gulnora Karimova as his successor. Their role in the circulation
of this article alone is more than sufficient ground to believe that they will
face harsh persecution, and likely torture, in Uzbekistan.
We
urge you to grant political asylum to Alimdjon Tashniyazov and Khudaykul
Hafizov.
Respectfully,
Chairman, The Congress of Democratic Uzbekistan
Jahongir Mamatov (former member of Uzbekistan's parliament): www.jahongir.org,
571-277-0140 (m), 571-203-9225 (h) jahongirm@yahoo.com
Deputy Chairman - Executive Director, The Congress of Democratic
Uzbekistan
AbduMannob Polat (formerly Chairman of the Human Rights Society of
Uzbekistan and former Director of the Central Asian Human Rights
Information Network): AbduMannob@yahoo.com, 703-426-9637 (h/o), 571-344-3013 (m)