The independent Uzbek journalist and human rights defender Dilmurod Sayid, sentenced in July 2009 to 12 and a half years in prison, has addressed an open letter to the UN Secretary General and international human rights organizations. Front Line previously issued an urgent appeal on Dilmurod Sayid regarding his sentence on 4 August 2009.

Further Information

Dilmurod Sayid writes that he is ill with tuberculosis and was placed in the 36th special medical treatment facility on 27 March 2010. His current weight is 56 kilograms while his height is 176 centimetres.

Dilmurod Sayid was sentenced under two articles of the Uzbek Criminal Code, namely “blackmail” and “preparation of faked documents, seals, letterheads and their sale or use”. The human rights defender denies the accusation. Major witnesses in Sayid’s case withheld evidence while others said they had testified under pressure from Uzbek secret services.

Sayid’s relatives indicate that in private talks investigators made it clear that the case had been ordered by “supreme authorities” and the verdict would result in Sayid's imprisonment regardless.

Prior to his arrest, Dilmurod Sayid investigated violations of human rights. He was an active member of the Tashkent Oblast office of Ezgulik human rights organization. In 2007-2008 he was a member of a rapid response team dedicated to preventing torture in Uzbekistan and he also cooperated with the “Voice of Freedom” human rights website.

In November 2009 Sayid's wife and five year old daughter were killed in a car accident as they travelled to meet him in Navoi penal colony. In his letter, Sayid writes:“I am absolutely positive that I was the victim of a plot. Unfortunately, ignoring the laws,investigators and judicial authorities protected the interests of people [involved in] bribery, oppression,unfairness and anarchy!...I am an innocent prisoner. I am not afraid to die. I am expecting death.”

He also indicated that he has doubts concerning the medical treatment he has been receiving. The eight-month therapy regime, assigned in December 2009, was cancelled after three months. In March 2010 Sayid was relocated to Navoi and forced to sign a voluntary agreement form for a new medical regime. Sayid comments that “it was impossible to say no”.

Under this new medical regime, Sayid experiences “amnesia, a sense of discomfort in the mouth, loss of vision, a feeling of 'deadness' in the left hand and pain in left shoulder blade”. Sayid believes that representatives of the German embassy in Uzbekistan have contributed to his current condition because they recommended this therapy and have not inquired about his condition in the three months since it began.

Dilmurod Sayid urges the UN Secretary General and international human rights organisations to take an interest in his case. “I am a victim of injustice. I have lost my family, my health and my freedom and I do not think there can be more pain! Therefore, I want to wait for justice”.