President of the Jizak regional branch of the International Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan (MOPChU), Ziudullo Razokov, was beaten up by the headmaster of the local school at which Razokov works as a teacher.
Bakhtior Elmuradov, headmaster of school No.1 in Jizak’s Zarbdar district, allegedly beat up Ziudullo Razokov at the end of the day’s cotton harvesting as pupils and teachers were getting ready to go home.
Elmuradov has been the leader of Zarbdar district’s department of education for many years, and as such has clashed frequently with Razokov, who as a human rights campaigner has been critical of his working conditions on many levels. Elmuradov was made headmaster of the school in July this year, since when the conflict between the two men has been particularly heated.
Razokov gave an interview to Ozodlik radio on 19th September in which he described how children in classes 8 and 9 were being taken out to harvest cotton, and were being loaded into trucks 60 at a time, “like sacks of potatoes.”
On 28th September, in a separate interview with the same radio station, Razokov mentioned that children were being asked to pay 400 sums each day to be transported to and from the cotton fields. He also said that in the fields, not only was there no boiled water, but sometimes no drinking water at all was provided.
On 3rd October, senator Olij Majils and Kurakbay Ergashev from the regional education department, and Komil Uralov, leader of the district education department, went out into the cotton fields, where Elmuradov told them of his intention to resign. The headmaster then decided to vent his anger on Razokov, began to shout at him and then to manhandle him.
Razokov, who was left bleeding from the assault, was given first aid then released, whereupon he decided to report the incident to the police.
On 4th October, the police came to Razokov’s home and asked him to provide evidence of the incident that had taken place the day before. Razokov says that if this case is not taken up by the authorities and dealt with through the courts, he will make a complaint to the regional prosecutor and the district branch of the national security service.
http://www.uznews.net/news_single.php?lng=en&sub=hot&cid=3&nid=18075
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