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The warden of prison 64/1 in Chirchik has repeatedly stated that the prisoner Murad Djuraev is under special control: there is a red stripe on his case file. He was convicted for the fifth time. Seriously ill political prisoner is forced to perform backbreaking labour.
Murad Djuraev was born in 1952 in the town of Mubarak of Kashkadarya region. He is ethnic Turkmen, married and has three children. He graduated from the Tashkent Polytechnic Institute. Between 1989 and 1992 he worked as the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the City Council of the town of Mubarek.
Between 1991-1992 he was a member of Parliament of Uzbekistan.
He was accused of conspiring with the leader of the opposition political party "Erk" Muhammad Salih. According to the authorities, they wanted to organise a violent seizure of power.
Murad Juraev has been in prison since 18 September 1994. He was sentenced to imprisonment for five consecutive times. The first sentence lasted for 9 years, following three terms under Article 221 of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan (Disobedience to lawful demands of the administration of penal institutions) in total accounting for 9 years. On 4 December 2012 Murad Juraev was sentenced to three years and 24 days of imprisonment, again, under Article 221 of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan.
Murad Djuraev still rejects any suggestions to apply for a pardon to Islam Karimov.
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Recently, his wife Holbika Djuraeva was able to get a long meeting with him. She was with him on 25-26 April 2013. Holbika Dzhuraeva saw her husband more exhausted than ever. He has increased nasal catarrh, pomenyay na purulent discharge from the nose, due to lack of teeth he has difficulty of eating, he often suffers from severe stomach ache after eating. According to doctors, his stomach is not well. Djuraev has chronic headaches. For the last two months his right arm is going numb. He told the doctor about it, when he was in Tashkent prison, before transportation to the Prison 64/1, where he is now serving his sentence. Then the doctor examined Murad Djuraev and said that he needs a consultation of narrow specialist, but the day before escorting it cannot be done.
Murad Djuraev works every day, he carries bricks. Physical activity has caused pain in his back, his right arm acts worse, it almost does not move. Against the background of ill health, he is constantly under moral pressure. The warden of Prison 64/1 of Chirchik repeatedly declared Murad Djuraev a “special” prisoners, whose case file has got the red stripe. This sort of marking indicates that he is a “malicious violator of the laws of Uzbekistan.” Therefore, the rest of the prisoners, especially those who apply for an amnesty or a pardon, are afraid to talk to him.
The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Catherine Ashton visited Tashkent on 28 November 2012. During a meeting with human rights activists she expressed her interest in the position of Murad Djuraev, Mamadali Mahmoudov, Isroil Holdarov and other political prisoners. Some of them are under threat of extension of their term of imprisonment under Article 221 of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan, some have already been convicted. She promised to follow their fate and do everything she could for their release. Recently, the U.S. government took interest in the fate of political prisoners. First person on the list to be released was Mamadali Mahmoudov. And that gives us a hope for the liberation of the others.