Prominent Uzbek human rights defender calls for support
Talib Yakubov, leading representative of the Human Rights Society of UzbekistanTalib Yakubov, a representative of the Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan (HRSU) has issued a statement detailing the Uzbek authorities harsh crackdown on the Pakhtakor district division of the HRSU. The statement condemns the harassment of HRSU’s members and calls for international support.
According to the statement: "The authorities are preparing to begin a criminal prosecution against rights activists and first of all against Saida Kurbanova.The authorities are equating the human rights defence activities of people to crimes, and the media report on the basis of Point 3 Article 322 of the Criminal-Processing Codex of the Republic of Uzbekistan could become the reason for the opening of a criminal case". The statement added: On 27 May 2007, a Khokim declared Saida Kurbonova a “traitor of the motherland” and a police inspector came to her at home and told her to come quickly to the regional division of internal affairs, without showing any summons paper."