Uznews.net, Tashkent, 25 Jul 2008 – Bobur Yusufjon ugli, dissident writer Yusuf Juma’s son who was given a suspended prison term, has filed a suit with the Uzbek Supreme Court in which he described torture faced in prison by him, his father and brother.
Bobur Yusufjon ugli, a 25-year-old son of dissident writer from Bukhara Yusuf Juma, wrote to the Supreme Court about torture faced by him, his father and brother Mashrab in custody after their detention in late 2007 and demanded his torturers be punished.
He could not tell about atrocities of Uzbek prison wardens until now because they had done everything to prevent him from doing this.
After four months in custody between December 2007 and April 2008, Bobur was released after he was given a three-year suspended prison term. He was in a very poor condition.
The only reason for his detention and the imprisonment of his father and brother is that his family tried to protest against President Islam Karimov’s participation in the presidential election last year, which was anticonstitutional because the country’s constitution bans the very same person from occupying the presidential post for more than two consecutive terms.
Yusuf Juma’s family staged rallies in Bukhara Region, demanding Karimov’s resignation.
The persecution of Juma’s family started with the detention of 22-year-old Mashrab on charges of inflicting injuries, while Juma himself and Bobur were accused of insulting a representative of government and driving over a police officer.
In his appeal, Bobur detailed the assault by law-enforcement agencies on their house in Bukhara Region’s Karakul District on 10 December with the aim of arresting the whole family and their arrest on 17 December in Tashkent Region.
He said that he and his father had been tortured, mistreated and beaten up since they were arrested.
He also said that he had been severely beaten up after he refused to take part in the voting in the presidential election on 23 December.
Appealing to the Supreme Court in his suit, Bobur wrote that he, his father and brother faced the cruellest torture in custody.
“I demand this oppression and abuses be stopped, and demand all those responsible for torturing the family of Juma be made answerable. I demand the release of Yusuf Juma who is in prison only because he told the truth,” Bobur said in his suit.
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