In Uzbekistan, Interior Ministry officers attacked picketing human rights defenders

Law enforcement officers reacted to two pickets of human rights groups by force. On March 17, during a rally of the women’s initiative group for human rights near the Main Directorate for the Execution of Punishments spread out the banner “Traitors of the country in the Main Directorate for the Execution of Punishments deceive the people and the President”. The security guard at the checkpoint took this banner by force.

In a skirmish with human rights activists, Colonel Sharofutdin Usmanov lost his nerves. He began to bang on the table and shouted, “Shut up everyone!” You will not achieve anything. The power is in our hands!” It provoked the women into a scandal. The officer hastened to retreat from the angry protesters.

The group leader, Tatyana Dovlatova, after the abusive attacks of the deputy head of the department A.Kh. Otakhodjaev, left a statement in the department with a demand to bring her a written apology for disseminating slanderous information, which he distributed among her associates.

Activists also demanded to stop the illegal practice of reporting violations to activist prisoners who stand up for their rights.

On the same day, the leader of the Human Rights Alliance of Uzbekistan, Elena Urlaeva, was attacked by a civilian and tried to take the camera. In the scuffle that began, the picketers were able to repel the attack. The human rights activist brought the mothers of those convicted of terrorism to the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Women protested against the torture of their sons during the investigation. They demanded that the investigator of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Talat Elbekov, be brought to justice for the torture.