Previously, the Supreme Court of Uzbekistan had scheduled the revision of human rights defender and lawyer Dauletmurat Tajimuratov’s case for April 22, 2024. However, since government bodies failed to respond to his prior requests, Tajimuratov requested the withdrawal of his revision complaint to gather more facts for his case. The Supreme Court granted Tajimuratov’s request and temporarily halted the case’s consideration. The possibility of the verdict revision is because in January 2024 new amendments to Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code came into effect. These amendments allow criminal cases to be reviewed through a revision procedure outlined in chapters 56-2, which involves filing complaints or protests against court rulings. Dauletmurat Tajimuratov is filing complaints to reconsider his case in revision procedure, taking into account that decision of Supreme court of Uzbekistan on 5 June 2023 sentenced Dauletmurat Tajimuratov to sixteen years in prison for conspiracy to seize power or overthrow the constitutional order of the Republic of Uzbekistan“ (part 4, Article 159); theft by misappropriation or embezzlement (part 3A, Article 167); legalization of proceeds from criminal activity (Article 243); organization of riots accompanied by violence (part 3, Article 244); production, storage, distribution or demonstration of materials containing a threat to public safety and public order (paragraphs a, b and d of Article 244-1).
The decision of courts regarding the sixteen years sentence was based on disparities within Tajimuratov’s alleged criminal record. Despite claims by Tajimuratov’s legal representatives that his record had been already erased. Notably, in September 2020, Tajimuratov took legal action against journalists for spreading false information about him. Materials of this case consist of official documentation indicating a clean criminal record at that time (referred to as “photo 1”). However, subsequent inquiries by the Ministry of Internal Affairs revealed conflicting information, suggesting the existence of a criminal record under consideration(“photo 2”).
The inconsistency between these records given by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, especially concerning events before and after July 2022, implies institutional obstacles for Tajimuratov’s pursuit of justice, highlighting systemic deficiencies in Uzbekistan’s legal system.
Dauletmurat Tajimuratov is a victim of Uzbekistan’s measures targeting Karakalpak minority activists exercising their rights to freedom of speech, peaceful assembly, and political pluralism in Karakalpakstan which is a sovereign republic within Uzbekistan.
