Uznews.net, Tashkent, 21 Jul 2008 – Human rights activist Mutabar Tajibayeva received permission from the authorities in Margilan in Fergana Region on 18 July to undergo a medical check and treatment in Tashkent.
Mutabar Tajibayeva said that Kamoliddin Obidov, the chief of Margilan police, telephoned her on 18 July and said that she could leave for treatment in Tashkent any time.
“Obidov told me that I could go to Tashkent if I need to receive treatment there and that the only thing I need is to warn police about my travel and the duration of it,” Mutabar said.
Since she was released from prison over health concerns in early June after two years and eight months in prison, Tajibayeva, the head of Fiery Hearts Club which deals with human rights issues, has basically ended up under house arrest in Margilan.
She was allowed to move around only in Margilan. When she tried to leave for Tashkent to attend events organised by foreign embassies she faced threats from the authorities, including Obidov, who told her that if she left for Tashkent she would again ended up in Tashkent’s prison for women.
Tajibayeva needs to go to Tashkent because of her health problems. In March 2008, she had a hysterectomy and she still does not know what the real reason for the operation was. Moreover, she said that her health was continuing to worsen, while doctors in Margilan did not have enough qualifications to treat her properly.
Tajibayeva believes that she received long-awaited permission to travel to Tashkent thanks to a campaign launched by journalists and human rights activists in her defence and the involvement of some Western embassies.
In Tashkent Mutabar Tajibayeva intends to visit the Tashkent oncology hospital where she was operated and meet doctors who did it.
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