UZBEKISTAN Communications sent

392. On 22 February 2001, the Special Representative sent an urgent appeal concerning the arrest on 19 February 2001 of Elena Urlayeva, a member of the Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan (HRSU). Information received indicated that she was taken by four militia workers

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to the Yunusabad District Department of Internal Affairs, where several documents she was carrying were confiscated and recorded as anti-constitutional. These documents apparently included the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, documents from various non-governmental organizations, correspondence addressed to President Karimov and the Ombudsman of Uzbekistan, Uzbekistan legislation and individual complaints to the United Nations. The militia workers reportedly demanded that she sign a statement admitting the material was anti-constitutional. She was allegedly detained for seven hours, during which time she was threatened and given no water nor her medication for a heart condition, then taken to the office of Colonel Djurabayev, who told her she was not guilty and would be freed. However, the information indicated that neither her documents nor her passport were returned to her. Furthermore, urgent attention was drawn to the case of Tulkan Karaev, also a member of the HRSU, who was detained by the militia at Tashkent airport on 15 February 2001 as he returned from a human rights course in Ekaterinburg. He was reportedly carrying human rights literature and other documents from various non-governmental organizations. According to the source, the militia declared the literature unconstitutional and called an official from the Department for the Prevention of Religious Extremism and Terrorism. Tulkan Karaev was reportedly informed that he would be imprisoned for carrying this literature and asked to write an explanatory paper. The information indicates that later that evening he was released and his passport and other documents were returned to him.

393. On 15 March 2001, the Special Representative sent, jointly with the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, another urgent appeal regarding Elena Urlayeva. It was reported that in the night of 8 March 2001, her house was doused with petrol and set on fire while she and her family were asleep inside. According to the source, the arson could be connected to an incident that occurred on 19 February 2001 when Ms. Urlayeva was reportedly arrested by four militia workers.

394. On 22 June 2001, the Special Representative, together with the Special Rapporteur on torture, sent an urgent appeal concerning Shovruk Ruzimuradov, the head of HRSU. He was reportedly arrested on 15 June 2001 by members of the Kashkadaryn District Department of the Interior (DDI). Later the same day, a group of members of the DDI, including 31 armed policemen, are said to have raided and searched his house and to have confiscated several items, including a HRSU computer and several documents. It is believed that they did not have any search warrant. It was also alleged that Shovruk Ruzimuradov's mother, T. Burieva, his wife, R. Ruzimuradova, his sister, O. Burieva, and his daughter were present in the house during the search and were severely beaten. Since his arrest, Shovruk Ruzimuradov has reportedly been held incommunicado in a secret place.

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395. On 5 September 2001, the Special Representative sent, jointly with the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, an urgent appeal regarding Ruslan Sharipov, president of the Union of Independent Journalists of Uzbekistan. According to the information received, on 31 August 2001 Mr. Sharipov was detained by officials from the Kibrayskiy Department of Internal Affairs, who confiscated his passport and journalist's card. It was reported that the internal affairs officials interrogated Mr. Sharipov and accused him of being involved in terrorist activities. It was also reported that members of Mr. Sharipov's family were also intimidated by the same internal affairs officials. It was alleged that such harassment is linked to Mr. Sharipov's human rights activities in particular his publication of articles entitled "Shadow of independence" relating inter alia to persecution of Muslims, torture in Uzbekistan prisons, corruption and intimidation of journalists.

396. On 1 October 2001, the Special Representative transmitted, jointly with the Special Rapporteur on torture, an allegation regarding the following cases.

397. Elena Urlayeva, a member of HRSU, on behalf of whom the Special Representative sent two urgent appeals, on 22 February 2001, and 15 March 2001, was reportedly arrested

on 6 April 2001 and taken to Mirzo Ulugbek district police headquarters in Tashkent, where she is believed to have been interrogated and beaten. It was reported that she was later transferred to the Municipal Clinical Psychiatric Hospital No. 1, where on 7 April 2001 a medical commission, in which the deputy district police chief is believed to have taken part, reportedly ordered that she had to undergo "compulsory treatment". According to the information received, Elena Urlayeva was perfectly healthy and had never been treated for mental illness. It is thought that she was targeted for her human rights activities. On 4 June 2001, the Mirabadski court reportedly held a hearing to decide whether the forced treatment and detention of Urlayeva, who was not present, needed to be extended. The second day of the hearing, which took place in the Municipal Clinical Psychiatric Hospital, included Elena Urlayeva. The latter reportedly stated that hospital employees strapped her to a bed and forced her to receive injections and to take tablets. According to the information received, shortly after the hearing Ms. Urlayeva was transferred to the Republican Psychiatric Hospital No. 2, which she was reported to have left voluntarily on 20 June 2001. It was also reported that, on 12 July 2001, a hearing on the legality of her detention took place in the Tashkent City Court, which was alleged to have ruled that her detention was legal.

398. Vassily Evtigneev, the brother of the above-named human rights activist, Elena Urlayeva, was reportedly sentenced to six years' imprisonment by the Mirza Ulugbek District Court in Tashkent in April 2000, on allegedly fabricated charges, probably in retaliation for his sister's human rights work. According to the information received, he was kept in the "red zone" in

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Karshi town, and was transferred in October 2000 to a medical penitentiary facility in Tashkent in a serious condition. It was alleged that, on 6 November 2000, the manager of the medical facility did not allow his relatives to visit him.

399. On 1 October 2001, the Special Representative transmitted jointly with the

Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and the Special Rapporteur on torture, an allegation of the assassination of Shovruk Ruzimuradov, the head of the HRSU Kashkadaryn regional department, on behalf of whom the Special Representative had sent a joint urgent appeal on 22 June 2001. Mr. Ruzimuradov was reportedly arrested on 15 June 2001 and held incommunicado for at least three weeks. His body was delivered to his family on 7 July 2001. The reasons of his death in custody are not known.

400. On 2 November 2001, the Special Representative, together with the Special Rapporteur on torture and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, sent an urgent appeal concerning Mr. Yusuf Juma, a poet, journalist and active member of The Popular Movement Birlik on Uzbekistan. Mr. Juma was reportedly arrested on 23 October 2001 by the Security Service of Uzbekistan (SSU) in Bukhara district. The SSU agents allegedly searched Mr. Juma's house and confiscated many poems written by him and his daughter. According to the information received, those poems criticized government policies and referred to police violence, impunity and corruption. Mr. Juma was allegedly accused of anti-government activities and charged under article 159 of the Criminal Code for having published some of these poems on a web site.

Observations

401. The Special Representative regrets that at the time of the finalization of this report the Government had not sent any reply to her communications. The Special Representative recalls that she has indicated her interest in visiting Uzbekistan and hopes that the Government will give positive consideration to this request.

VENEZUELA

402. An official invitation to visit Venezuela was extended to the Special Representative by the Government on 8 August 2001, following a request sent by the Special Representative

on 27 April 2001. The Special Representative hopes to undertake this visit in the near future.

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