The Main Directorate for the Administration of Punishment under the authority of the Interior Minister of Uzbekistan ordered the release of a prominent Uzbek human rights activist and journalist Umida Niyazova on February 2, the Uzbek website Newsuz.com reported. Several other prominent human rights defenders were also released.

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Posted 04/02/2008 Umida Niyazova was conditionally sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment for illegal border crossing, smuggling and spreading materials posing threat to society. Niyazova was released as part of the amnesty project approved by the Oliy Majlis (the upper chamber of Parliament) in November 2007.

The son of another Jizak human rights activist Ihtiyar Khamraev, accused of disorderly conduct, was included in the amnesty, Newsuz.com reported.

Ezgulik Human Rights Group activist Karim Bazarbaev, who had been jailed for three months, was included in the amnesty as well.

Earlier, international human rights watchdogs decried the failure of Uzbek law enforcement bodies to amnesty political prisoners.

Source Newsuz.com