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In March 2014 it was reported that a prisoner Konyratbay Allaniyazov died but his body was not given to his family.
Even relatives do not know the exact date of the death of Konyratbaya Allaniyazov. They were intimidated; they do not comment on the situation.
Konyratbay ALLANIYAZOV was born in 1953 in Takhtakupir district of Karakalpakstan Autonomous Republic (Uzbekistan). Previously he worked as a director of a timber factory of the Takhiatash city of the Khodzheli District of Karakalpakstan.
In the early 1990s he took an active part in the activities of Karakalpakstan party "Halyk mypy" ("Will of the People"). Its leaders Marat Nurmukhamedov and Marat Aralbayev did much to include the Article 74 to the Constitution of Uzbekistan, which states: "The Republic of Karakalpakstan has the right to secede from the Republic of Uzbekistan on the basis of a general referendum of the people of Karakalpakstan."
Allaniyazov openly expressed his civil position, criticized the regime for discrimination of residents of Karakalpakstan pointing to the most acute problems. Following the death threats, they fabricated charges against him under the Article 273 of the Uzbek Criminal Code (illegal manufacturing, purchase, storage, and other activities involving narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances with intent to sell, as well as their sales). He was sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment.
Increasingly, representatives of Karakalpak people express their desire to secede from the Republic of Uzbekistan. The central government of Uzbekistan finances Karakalpakstan on leftovers and totally controls all activities in the autonomous republic. Many activists of the opposition movement and participants of karakalpak protests are arrested. Information about them is blocked. They were all tortured and placed in conditions comparable to torture. Allaniyazov is the third Karakalpak activist whose death became known last year.
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Abdigani IDRISOV was born in 1965. He graduated from the Faculty of Mathematics of the Nukus State University and worked as a teacher. Later, he became a religious figure. He was an Imam of the Karauzyak District. Before his arrest, he lived in Chimbay District.
In February 2012, he was charged under the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan Articles 210 (bribery) and 273 (Illegal manufacture, acquisition, storage, and other activities involving narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances with intent to sell, as well as their sales).
Drugs were suddenly "discovered" under the pillow in the house, where he was invited to visit. Idrisov was sentenced to 16 years of imprisonment. He was repeatedly tortured. He was released on the eve of his death.
On 14 February 2013, he died as a result of torture, without regaining consciousness.
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Makset ISMETOV was born in 1958. He was behind the creation of Karakalpakstan’s Party of "Halyk mypy" ("Will of the People"). He openly criticized the government for limiting fundamental freedoms of the Karakalpak people.
He was sentenced to imprisonment on charges of "organizing mass disorder" that occurred in the Chimbay District on 17 November 2010. According to witnesses, that day, more than 500 people came out to protest when they learned that the authorities want to relocate the Chimbay Creamery (Karakalpakstan) into the Khorezm Region. For many locals this decision meant the loss of work. People spontaneously gathered in the street in protest to this decision. On that day, the crowd occupied the state administration building, the hokim (head of the local administration) and his deputies were beaten. On the same day the uprising was suppressed, about 300 protesters were arrested, 30 of them are still in custody.
Makset Ismetov was accused of organising the protest. And his brother Aryslan Ismetov who was working as a prosecutor in Nukus at that time, was also imprisoned on false charges.
On 6 March 2013 Makset Ismetov died while in custody.
The Association for Human Rights in Central Asia expresses Condolences to relatives of Konyratbay Allaniyazov, Abdigani Idrisov and Makset Ismetov. They paid the price for freedom of expression and publication of the concerns of the population of Karakalpakstan. We are convinced that Allaniyazov, Idris and Ismetov were victims of extrajudicial executions, for which the Uzbek authorities are responsible. To investigate the circumstances of the death of activists in the current situation is impossible.