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Mamadali Makmudov
July 20, 2006
Mamadali Makmudov was sentenced to 14 years in prison on August 18 1999, for his alleged involvement in the Uzbek opposition movement. Intolerance of opposition movements in Uzbekistan was rife after several bombs exploded in Tashkent, its capital, in February, 1999. Makmudov became a victim of the government’s suppression and prosecution of opposition figures shortly after the bombings.
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Mamadali Makmudov was sentenced to 14 years in prison on August 18 1999, for his alleged involvement in the Uzbek opposition movement. Intolerance of opposition movements in Uzbekistan was rife after several bombs exploded in Tashkent, its capital, in February, 1999. Makmudov became a victim of the government’s suppression and prosecution of opposition figures shortly after the bombings.
In the 1991 Uzbek elections, the sole opposition to President Islam Karimov was a man named Muhammad Salih, who was leader of the opposition party called Erk. Erk lost the elections and was banned by the government in 1993. Soon after, Salih was forced into exile and he fled in 1994.
Indeed, Makmudov’s conviction is strongly related to his links with Muhammad Salih, and not for the first time. In 1991, he had supported Salih’s party and was arrested in 1994 on suspicion of terrorism. His house was raided and the police found a gun as evidence, but the charge was on the whole unfounded and dropped quickly. He was therefore charged with embezzlement and sentenced to four years in prison, but an international campaign that exposed the lack of evidence saw him released by a presidential amnesty.
After the Tashkent bombings, Makmudov was again arrested at his home, on February 19, 1999. The evidence against him relied heavily on his possession and distribution of the Erk newspaper, which was also banned in 1993. Some of the articles in Erk supposedly threatened the President and Makmudov was charged under the Uzbek criminal code Article 158 (threatening the president) and Article 159.3 (threatening the constitutional order). He is currently serving the 14-year sentence that was handed down.
Makmudov is a talented writer in the traditional ‘dastan’ style of epic verse, which is known to depict a hero with magical qualities. In 1981, when Uzbekistan was a part of the Soviet Union, his first major piece of work, Immortal Cliffs was published in Shark Yildizi, an Uzbek literary journal. However, his work contained a strong anti-Soviet theme and he was forced to disclaim it by Soviet authorities. Nevertheless, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Immortal Cliffs finally received recognition and was awarded the Cholpan prize in 1992.
PEN Center USA West strongly condemns the detainment of Mamadali Makmudov and expresses growing concerns about his health and reports of torture during his imprisonment. We believe that his conviction on the basis of owning and distributing the Erk newspaper contravenes Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which enshrines the right to freedom of expression. We therefore call for his immediate and unconditional release.