Human rights defender, Ms Oyazimhon Hidirova, is facing charges of “hooliganism” following her arrest on 28 July 2009. Oyazimhon Hidirova is a member of the International Society of Human Rights of Uzbekistan (ISHRU) and works in the defence of farmers’ land rights in the Djizak region. Front Line is concerned that these charges are directly related to her human rights work.

Further Information

On 28 July 2009, Oyazimhon Hidirova was arrested and detained by representatives of the Department of the Interior of the Dustlik district on charges of “hooliganism.”

The day after, on 29 July 2009, Oyazimhon Hidirova’s home was searched by the police in her absence and in the absence of her lawyer or a representative of her family. On 31 July 2009, Dustlik district criminal court opened a criminal case against Oyazimhon Hidirova under Article 168.2 (fraud), Article 184 (tax evasion) and Article 277.3 (hooliganism) of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan.

In October 2007, Oyazimhon Hidirova spoke about the illegal confiscation of plots of land at a meeting between representatives of the President’s office and farmers from the Djizak region. The local administration had reportedly illegally broken land contracts with small-holding farmers in order to redistribute the land in the region to larger farms. On the day after the meeting, Oyazimhon Hidirova’s own plot of land was confiscated and transferred to a new landowner who suggested that she continue to live on the land and work it for him.

Following the confiscation of her land, Oyazimhon Hidirova sent letters of protest to the President of Uzbekistan, the General Prosecutor, the Ombudsman and the National Security Service. An investigatory commission, which had been sent from the government in Tashkent, did not find any violation of the law in this case. Oyazimhon Hidirova then sent a new letter of complaint. On 30 July 2009, two days after her arrest, Oyazimhon Hidirova’s lawyer received responses from the Presidential office, the Ombudsman and the General Prosecutor’s office which passed responsibility for the investigation to Governor of Dustlik region.

Front Line believes that the arrest and subsequent charges against Oyazimhon Hidirova are linked to her legitimate human rights activities, particularly in defence of farmers’ land rights. Front Line is concerned by the systematic use the accusation of “hooliganism” against human rights defenders in Uzbekistan.