Alisher Karamatov is a currently-imprisoned

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked cou ...

rural development Rural development is the process of improving the quality life and economic well-being of people living in rural areas, often relatively isolated and sparsely populated areas. Rural development has traditionally centered on the exploitation of l ...

activist.

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

considers him a prisoner of conscience and named him a 2011 "priority case". Before his arrest, Karmatov was an activist with the Human Rights Society of

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, Sirdaryo Province. On 29 April 2006, Karmatov was arrested along with fellow activist Azam Farmonov and charged with extortion. The two later reported torture by security forces, including partial

suffocation Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that can i ...

with a disconnected

gas mask A gas mask is a mask used to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gases. The mask forms a sealed cover over the nose and mouth, but may also cover the eyes and other vulnerable soft tissues of the face. Most gas mask ...

and beatings on the legs and heels.

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...

condemned the trial and stated that it "appear dto be a politically motivated effort to stop their human rights work" in keeping with a recent pattern of suspicious charges against human rights workers.

Front Line A front line (alternatively front-line or frontline) in military terminology is the position(s) closest to the area of conflict of an armed force's personnel and equipment, usually referring to land forces. When a front (an intentional or uninte ...

also described the arrests as politically motivated and "part of an ongoing campaign against human rights defenders in Uzbekistan".

likewise condemned the charges and called for the "immediate and unconditional release" of Karamatov and Farmonov. Uzbekistani government officials, however, denied that the extortion charges were politically motivated. Both men were convicted and sentenced to nine years in prison. In 2011,

reported that Karamatov "had been subjected to torture, beatings and humiliation by prison guards since 2007 while held at Karshi prison camp and had lost nearly half his body weight." In October 2008, he was transferred to Sangorodok, a prison hospital facility near

Tashkent Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of ...

, where he was treated for

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

. His wife visited in a month later and reported that he was in poor health, with low body weight and difficulty eating; a prison doctor confirmed that Karmatov had tuberculosis in both lungs. His wife alleged that he continued to be mistreated by prison guards, being forced to stand in freezing temperatures for hours on 8 December 2008 without a hat or coat.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karamatov, Alisher Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by Uzbekistan Uzbekistani activists Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Uzbekistani prisoners and detainees