Police officers beat up two human rights…

Uznews.net – Police officers beat up two human rights activists – Bahtiyor Hamrayev and Mamir Azimov – for meeting the leader of the Birdamlik (Solidarity) movement, Bahodir Choriyev, in Jizak yesterday.

Bahtiyor Hamrayev said that about 10 police officers in plain clothes had beaten him up when he was sitting in a car with Choriyev, who returned from exile in the USA in October, and his colleague Dilorom Ishakova.

They first approached the activists to warn that their car had been parked wrongly. A minute later they pulled Hamrayev out of the car and started beating him up. Ishakova tried to stop them, saying that their actions were unlawful, but in vain.

Mamir Azimov was even unluckier. He

Bahtiyor Hamrayev

managed only to greet Choriyev and Ishakova and went home because he did not feel well. However, soon after he got home officers from Jizak District came to his home and took him to their police department.

“Two officers took me to their office and started beating up. They hit me in the head and all over my body, but spared my face because they did not want to leave bruises on my face,” he said.

Officer of the Jizak District police department Jahongir Ismailov and the deputy chief of this department and the head of the criminal investigation department, Nurillo, beat the activist up for about an hour.

After they got tired they forced Mamir Azimov to hold a chair over his head and shouted at him if he lowered it, threatening to beat him again. This lasted also for an hour, and the human rights activist was allowed to go home. He was also warned against meeting people, like Bahodir Choriyev again.

Choriyev returned from exile in the USA in October. His movement aims to peacefully change the violent regime of President Islam Karimov in Uzbekistan.