MUTABAR TOJIBOYEVA'S HEALTH WORSENS IN PRISON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TASHKENT 001822

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN AND DRL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/22/2017
TAGS: PHUM ICRC PGOV UZ
SUBJECT: MUTABAR TOJIBOYEVA'S HEALTH WORSENS IN PRISON

Classified By: POLOFF R. FITZMAURICE FOR REASONS 1.4 (B, D)


1. (C) On October 18, poloff met with the brother and lawyer
of imprisoned human rights activist Mutabar Tojiboyeva. The
brother reported visiting his sister in prison on October 3
and confirmed a recent report on an independent website that
her health has been deteriorating and prison officials are
pressuring her to commit suicide. The brother also shared
with poloff another letter from Tojiboyeva that was allegedly
smuggled out of prison. Given the reluctance of the
Government to grant independent observers full access to
Uzbekistan's prisons, it is difficult for us to confirm the
welfare of imprisoned human rights activists such as
Tojiboyeva. End summary.

LIMITED ACCESS FOR TOJIBOYEVA'S FAMILY; NO ACCESS FOR LAWYER
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2. (C) On October 18, poloff met with Rasul Tojiboyev, the
brother of imprisoned human rights activist Mutabar
Tojiboyeva, and her lawyer, Rukhiddin Kamilov. Rasul
reported that he last visited his sister at Tashkent's
women's prison colony on October 3, his third meeting with
Tojiboyeva this year. Rasul said that on several other
occasions this year, he was not able to visit his sister
after prison officials claimed that she had broken prison
regulations and was placed in solitary confinement.


3. (C) Kamilov reported that he has not been able to meet
with Tojiboyeva at all despite sending repeated requests to
the women's prison colony, the Ministry of Internal Affair's
(MVD) Directorate of Prisons (GUIN),the General Prosecutor's
Office and Uzbekistan's Human Rights Ombudsman. Kamilov said
that the government bodies have replied to his letters,
stating that Tojiboyeva must request to see her lawyer.
However, Kamilov and Rasul reported that Tojiboyeva
frequently writes such requests, but they are confiscated
before they can reach their intended destinations.

TOJIBOYEVA SUFFERING FROM HEART AND KIDNEY PROBLEMS
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4. (C) Rasul reported that Tojiboyeva's health had
noticeably declined since their last meeting on August 10.
Rasul said that her face and eyes were now visibly swollen.
He also reported that since being placed in an unheated cell
last winter with only a single layer of clothing, she
developed a persistent cough and has complained of problems
with her heart and kidneys. Rasul also said that after he
visited her in January, Tojiboyeva was forced to stand
outside in the rain for two hours as punishment. He claimed
that she had not suffered any health problems before being
sentenced to eight years imprisonment in March 2006 on
politically-motivated charges including extortion, fraud, tax
evasion, forgery, and disseminating materials constituting a
threat to public order.


5. (C) Rasul told poloff that Tojiboyeva had been examined
by Yulia Kumarova, a doctor at the prison, but that prison
officials later claimed that the doctor's report was secret
and refused to share it with him or Tojiboyeva. Other than
the one examination, Rasul said that Tojiboyeva has been
denied access to medical treatment while in prison. Rasul
reported to poloff that Tojiboyeva is refusing to eat
anything other than bread due to rat infestations at the
prison. She is also reportedly afraid that prison officials
are slipping psychotropic drugs into her food (Note:
Tojiboyeva was held at a psychiatric ward at the prison for
15 days in July 2006, where doctors reportedly administered
oral medications to her. End note.)

OFFICIALS ALLEGEDLY PRESSURING TOJIBOYEVA TO COMMIT SUICIDE
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6. (C) Rasul did not dispute the details of an October 10
report on the independent Uznews.net website that Tojiboyeva
was recently held in solitary confinement with a rope and
prison officials were pressuring her to commit suicide.
According to Rasul, Tojiboyeva told him that prison officials
had set up a noose in her cell and were goading her to hang
herself.

ANOTHER LETTER REPORTEDLY SMUGGLED OUT OF PRISON

TASHKENT 00001822 002 OF 002


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7. (C) Rasul provided poloff a copy of a letter that he
received from Tojiboyeva after their last meeting that was
delivered to him by an unknown police officer who somehow
smuggled it out of jail. Rasul believed the action of the
police officer is evidence that not everyone working at the
jail approved of how his sister is treated. Rasul also
reported a conversation with the director of the women's
colony, who allegedly said that he did not personally support
the poor treatment of Tojiboyeva, but that he had no choice
but to follow orders from the General Prosecutor's Office.
However, the director agreed to pass along to Tojiboyeva a
care package prepared by Rasul.


8. (C) Embassy political section FSN examined the letter,
which was written by hand in Uzbek, and reported that it was
poorly written and difficult to follow. He had the
impression that whoever wrote the letter was under heavy
sedation and could not think clearly. The letter includes
descriptions of several alleged incidents of mistreatment. On
February 1, Tojiboyeva wrote that MVD Major Olga
Pshenichnikova forced her to undress and stand naked in her
cell for one hour. After she complained to prison officials
about the incident, Tojiboyeva was reportedly visited by a
doctor who examined her and then forced her to sign false
statements about her health. On February 26, she wrote that
she was called into the prison director's office and asked to
sign a statement that she was treated well at the prison.
When Tojiboyeva reportedly refused to sign the statement, she
was placed in solitary confinement for seven days. On March
11, she wrote that prison officials placed her again in
solitary confinement for one month after discovering six
tablets of the heart medicine Riboxin under her mattress.


9. (C) In the letter, Tojiboyeva stated that she submitted
requests to see her lawyer to the prison administration and
that she was forced to sign several documents confessing her
guilt. During an earlier meeting in September, Rasul told
poloff that Tojiboyeva was forced to sign a confession by
prison officials in August. At the end of the letter,
Tojiboyeva writes that she is certain that she will be killed
in prison. However, as far as Embassy FSN was able to
decipher, the letter does not include any mention of a noose
being placed in her cell or prison authorities pressuring her
to commit suicide.

COMMENT
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10. (C) Given that the GOU continues to deny independent
observers, such as the International Committee of the Red
Cross (ICRC),full access to Uzbekistan's prisons, it is
difficult for us to objectively ascertain the welfare of
imprisoned human rights activists such as Tojiboyeva. The
Embassy will raise Tojiboyeva's case in discussions with GOU
officials and request a meeting with her in prison. Post
also will continue to push the Uzbeks to allow ICRC to
restart its prison monitoring program.
NORLAND