Uzbekistan: Former Diplomat Kadyr Yusupov has passed away

Former diplomat Kadyr Yusupov passed away on 14 November 2024 at the age of 73. The Association for Human Rights in Central Asia (AHRCA), Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (HFHR), International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR), and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC) send their sincere condolences to his family and friends.

Following his conviction in January 2020, Yusupov first served his sentence in the KIN-4 penal colony in Navoi (southwest Uzbekistan), where he was allegedly subjected to torture and held in deplorable detention conditions that seriously endangered his health and well-being. He was subsequently transferred to the KIN-42 settlement colony in the Zangiata district of Tashkent region, where he was for the last two and a half years prior to his release.

In December 2018 he was arrested on charges of treason which appear to have been based on a statement he made during a psychotic episode, when he was undergoing medical treatment. Whilst in hospital, suffering from brain trauma and clearly confused, Yusupov reportedly said that he had been a spy for the West. There are credible allegations that state security officers repeatedly threatened Yusupov in pre-trial detention, saying that he, his wife and daughter would be raped unless he confessed to the accusations.

In January 2020 he was found guilty of treason before being imprisoned for five and a half years following a closed, unfair trial, during which Yusupov maintained his innocence.

Yusupov reported that he had been subjected to torture in the prison colony KIN-4 in Navoi (southwest Uzbekistan), where he served his sentence from January 2020 to December 2021. He suffered from poor prison conditions, as described inan opinion adopted by the the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detentionon 4 June 2021: “ The detention of Mr. Yusupov took place in deplorable conditions, which is especially alarming noting his state of health. He was also denied medication and treatment for the very serious health conditions from which he suffers.”

In December 2021, he was transferred to the penal colony-settlement KIN-42 in the Zangiata district of Tashkent region, where he reported that he was treated humanely.

He was released on 10 June 2024, after serving his full sentence.However, following his release, Yusupov was placed under administrative supervision for a year, with restrictions on his freedom of movement and participation in public events.

Despite his release, the post-traumatic stress following his treatment at the hands of the Uzbekistani authorities took its toll. Yusupov suffered from depression and disillusionment in his search for justice in the days before his death. After his release he reportedly often told his children: ".. my most beloved ones, I am tired.."

We call on the Uzbekistani authorities to fulfil their international human rights commitments as reflected in the opinion of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which found his detention to be arbitrary, and urged the government of Uzbekistan “to ensure a full and independent investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Yusupov’s arbitrary deprivation of liberty and to take appropriate action against those responsible for violating his rights.” These recommendations remain fully relevant despite Kadyr Yusupov’s tragic passing.