Salijon Abdurakhmonov, an Uzbek journalist and activist who was jailed for nearly a decade in Uzbekistan after being convicted on drug charges that he said were fabricated, has died in Germany at the age of 75.
Abdurakhmonov was released in 2017 at a time when President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who had taken office in the previous year, was promising a new openness in the Central Asian country following a long clampdown on dissent and criticism by his predecessor, Islam Karimov. However, Abdurakhmonov campaigned in vain to have his conviction overturned and clear his name in Uzbekistan.
The writer had longed to be acquitted in his case, said Abdurakhmon Tashanov, head of the Ezgulik human rights group in Uzbekistan.
“Goodbye, good man!” Tashanov said on Facebook on July 26.
Abdurakhmanov was an “outspoken” journalist who wrote about issues including human rights, corruption, and the legal status of Karakalpakstan, a politically sensitive, autonomous part of Uzbekistan where protests have occurred over the years, according to a Human Rights Watch statement in 2008 that called for his release. It said he had worked with the online news agency UzNews and did freelance assignments for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Voice of America, and the Institute for War and Peace Reporting.
Koshkarbay Toremuratov, a blogger and activist who is originally from Karakalpakstan, expressed sorrow at Abdurakhmonov´s death.
“I first met him in 2004, when, as a correspondent for Radio Ozodlik, he came to my office regarding issues faced by Christian students from Nukus,” the capital of Karakalpakstan, Toremuratov said on X. “Our paths crossed again later, when we were both imprisoned… Our prison zones were separated by a common ´restricted area.´”
In June 2008, Abdurakhmonov was arrested after police said they found a stash of marijuana and opium in his car and accused him of selling illegal drugs. Several months later, he was sentenced to ten years in prison. He alleged that the drugs were planted in his vehicle and that the case amounted to retaliation for reporting that was critical of officials.
Several international human rights groups said Abdurakhmonov didn’t receive a fair trial and campaigned for his release. His family and supporters said he suffered from stomach ulcers while in jail, and he moved to Germany after he was released. He remained active there, speaking publicly about what he said was an unjust imprisonment and establishing a YouTube channel to discuss issues about Uzbekistan.
