On the weekend of 22-23 May 2010, an office of human rights society Ezgulik ('goodness') was broken into and important articles were stolen. Ezgulik, one of only two legally registered human rights organisations in Uzbekistan, regularly reports on human rights violations in Uzbekistan and has offices throughout the country.

Further Information

The burglary took place over the weekend of 22-23 May 2010 at the Tashkent office of Ezgulik, and the organisation's computer hard-drive was stolen. According to members from Ezgulik, the hard-drive contained their entire archive of documents, information about the organisation's activities, and projects planned for the future.

The burglary was discovered on the morning 24 May 2010 by an Ezgulik staff member who, upon arrival at the office after the weekend, found the doors to the office sealed. The building's watchman reported to have noticed the door ajar during his rounds on the evening of 22 May 2010, and subsequently sealed it. He claimed not to have contacted any member of the organisation as he did not have their contact details. The theft was subsequently reported to the police who announced an investigation under article 169 of the Uzbek Criminal Code.

It is worth noting that no other items of value were taken from the office. Thus, it is believed that the burglary was not a common crime but rather a premeditated and deliberate effort to obtain valuable information and/or debilitate the organisation. As such, it is feared that the information contained in the stolen hard drive could be used against members of Ezgulik or Uzbek citizens who have reported human rights violations to Ezgulik.

Although Ezgulik has been legally registered as a non-governmental organisation since 2003, its members are regularly subjected to various forms of harassment. On 30 July 2009, the Tailak Distict court of Uzbekistan sentenced Ezgulik member Dimurod Sayid to 12.5 years of imprisonment on allegedly politically motivated charges of extortion and forgery. The verdict was passed behind closed doors without his lawyer, Ruhiddin Komilov, his public defender, Abdurakhman Tashanov, nor his family members being informed of the trial date in advance. During the trial several key witnesses withdrew their testimonies and stated that they had been pressurised into giving false evidence against Dilmurod Sayid. Front Line issued Urgent Appeals concerning the case of Dimurod Sayid on 24 February and 4 August 2009.

Front Line believes that the burglary at the office of Ezgulik is a direct result of their legitimate and peaceful work in defence of human rights.