This was announced in a joint statement by human rights organizations – the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR), the Association for Human Rights in Central Asia (AHRCA), and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC). This decision is aimed “exclusively at suppressing her legitimate human rights activities,” the activist’s foreign colleagues are sure.
Active resistance to arbitrariness in penitentiary institutions in the Main Directorate for the Execution of Punishments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs “responded” with letters from women prisoners, written under pressure. According to the statement of international organizations, on August 25, the special prosecutor of the Zangiata district of the Tashkent region called Dovlatova and demanded to come to his office and discuss the issue of complaints against her, even offering to reimburse the transportation costs.
In the conversation, the prosecutor told Dovlatova that two residents of the colony-settlement No. 42 had filed a complaint against her. In their opinion, Dovlatova allegedly photographed prisoners during one of the trips to the colony and illegally published the pictures in social networks. Without a lawyer and an official summons, Dovlatova did not consider the visit necessary.
Monitoring conditions in places of detention is an important part of Dovlatova’s human rights activities. During these visits, inmates regularly seek help, as her statements often solve problems.
In a commentary for ACCA, Tatiana Dovlatova said that: “The Main Directorate for the Execution of Sentences and the Special Prosecutor’s Office respond with formal replies to statements of violations of rights. The same position was taken by the Commissioner of the Oliy Majlis (Parliament) for Human Rights (Ombudsman). From the beginning of the year to September, 24 responses were received from the CPCD, 6 from the special prosecutor’s office, and 10 from the General prosecutor’s office. They contained a standard reply – the facts were not confirmed ”.
Dovlatova emphasizes that all the prisoners talked to her voluntarily and agreed to be photographed. The human rights activist has reason to believe that female prisoners lodged complaints against her under pressure. One of them confirmed this fact to the ACCA journalist. It turned out that on September 7, after she, out of remorse, declared that she would withdraw her complaint against Dovlatova, she was immediately placed in a punishment cell by order of the deputy head of the colony-settlement.
During her visit to colony No. 42, Dovlatova was repeatedly threatened with sexist threats from the guards of the colony for disseminating objective information about the violation of prisoners’ rights.
“The efforts of our colleague Tatyana Dovlatova to document gross violations of prisoners’ rights are an excellent contribution that the authorities could use to make the necessary changes to the penal system. Unfortunately, we see that Tashkent prefers to suppress the information it collects from places of deprivation of freedom, ”said Gunnar Ekelev-Slidal, Acting Secretary-General of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee. “The Uzbek authorities should stop all persecution of human rights defenders, and instead view them as partners in ongoing reforms. No meaningful and sustainable reforms can be carried out without a free civil society and the participation of human rights defenders. ”
Dovlatova identified many cases of human rights violations: torture and attempted rape, forced labor, non-payment of pensions to disabled people, non-compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards in the context of the current COVID-19 epidemic, and a ban on visiting prisoners.
“Uzbekistan has committed itself to creating national preventive mechanisms, enshrined in the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT). If they are quickly and efficiently implemented, this will radically improve the system for the prevention of torture. But the role of civilian oversight in such procedures is the key to success, and Tatiana’s work serves to this very important goal. We regret that she is being held criminally liable for playing a critical role, ”said IPHR Director Brigitte Dufour.
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