Aqylbek Muratbai

🙏 Please, maximum repost! 🇺🇿 Exactly 16 months ago, on July 15, 2022, the Parliament of #Uzbekistan established an Investigation Commission on the protests in the Republic of #Karakalpakstan. The State Commission was chaired by Ombudsman Feruza Eshmatova @F_Eshmatova and included (among others) Bobur Bekmurodov @BBobur, Gulnoz Mamarasulova @GMamarasulova, Alisher Qodirov @AlisherQodir and #AzamFarmonov. For the passed a year and four months, the commission has not published any reports on the findings of their investigations. Moreover, the members of the commission keep silent regarding it in their social networks and do not even provide any responses to written requests from international human rights organizations. Protests in Karakalpakstan began on July 01, 2022, following an attempt by the Shavkat #Mirziyoyev regime to eliminate clauses on the sovereign status of the Republic of Karakalpakstan and clauses on the right of Karakalpaks to secede from Uzbekistan from the country's constitution. According to the officials, 21 people were dead during the brutal suppression of peaceful protests, but human rights activists say there were many more victims. @Gazeta_UZ shared that on the second day of the protests there were at least 77 corpses at the Republican Center for Emergency Medical Care in #Nukus city. This is only one of the clinics in one city in Karakalpakstan. There is some evidence of the using of firearms and large caliber grenades against unarmed protesters. During two big show trials, 61 people were convicted for participating in protests in Karakalpakstan and for allegedly "attempting to overthrow the constitutional order". Among those convicted were leading Karakalpak journalists, lawyers, bloggers and civic activists. For instance, journalist Yesimkhan Kanatov was convicted only for sending information on the protests to foreign media as a journalist. Oralbay #Dosnazarov, a lawyer, received 11 years in prison for organizing a meeting of the Karakalpakstan Chamber of Lawyers to discuss constitutional reform. The longest sentence, 16 years in prison, was received by Dauletmurat #Tazhimuratov, who for many years previously had defended the rights of the Karakalpak minority in Uzbekistan. Repression against the Karakalpak diaspora abroad also followed: in neighboring #Kazakhstan 🇰🇿, five ethnics Karakalpaks were arrested at #Tashkent's request. The head of the diaspora in #Aktau, Niyetbay Urazbayev, was sentenced in absentia in Uzbekistan to 12 years in prison for a short video expressing his disagreement with constitutional amendments. Aman #Sagidullayev, a Karakalpak activist permanently residing in #Norway 🇳🇴, was sentenced in absentia by an Uzbek court to 18 years in prison. On November 09, 2023, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, Mary Lawlor @MaryLawlorhrds, and the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Association and Peaceful Assembly, Clément Nyaletsossi Voule @CVoule, expressed their concern about the condition of Karakalpak human rights defender Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov, and called on the Uzbek authorities to stop persecuting defenders of the rights of the #Karakalpak minority. The statement of the #UN experts refers to the physical and psychological pressure on Tazhimuratov in the pre-trial detention center of #Urgench city, as well as the current deteriorating state of his health. The office of Feruza Eshmatova @F_Eshmatova, Human Rights Commissioner (Ombudsman) of the Parliament of Uzbekistan, has published a response to the statements of the #UnitedNations experts. The response refers to an alleged meeting with Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov while he was in the Urgench pre-trial detention center. According to Eshmatova, during this visit Tazhimuratov stated that there was no torture, threats or pressure. As confirmation of this meeting, the Ombudsman's office published the photo of an unidentified man from behind: ombudsman.uz/en/news/2023/1… In addition, Feruza Eshmatova points to the Commission established to investigate the protests in Karakalpakstan @Independent_UZB, but is silent about the fact that this group has not yet published its report and they do not respond to written requests from independent #humanrights defenders. The tragic events in Karakalpakstan occurred due to the #Uzbek authorities' tacit disregard for the Karakalpaks' discontent, which eventually resulted in mass protests with dozens (possibly hundreds) of victims. Similarly, for the past 16 months, the Investigation Commission on the protests in Karakalpakstan, represented by @F_Eshmatova @BBobur @GMamarasulova @AlisherQodir, has been ignoring any requests to publish the results of the investigation and not answering questions from international human rights organizations. This only increases distrust in the work of this Commission and multiplies the general distrust of ethnic #Karakalpaks towards the authorities of Uzbekistan.

Latest hearing in trial of anti-#China protesters in #Kazakhstan facing 10 years in prison will be held today. Trial shows the reach of China in #CentralAsia. Background in my story on @eurasianet eurasianet.org/kazakhstan-ant…

Очень остроумная басня от Семёна Слепакова про сегодняшний мир:

A state visit by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has begun in Georgia. The trip comes a day after the independent Aliyev-critical journalist Afgan Sadigov was deported from Georgia to Azerbaijan following a Tbilisi City Court ruling. 🔗 Read more: oc-media.org/aliyev-visits-…

«Атмосфера страха» vs «закон и порядок». Как в Казахстане реагируют на дела против журналистов  azattyqasia.org/a/atmosfera-st…

On #TikTok, an account named the “Central Migration Agency” is running ads offering “official assistance in obtaining #Russian citizenship under the resettlement program.”

🇺🇸 Президент Соединённых Штатов Америки: «Откройте ё*аый пролив, сумасшедшие вы ублюдки, иначе будете жить в аду – ВОТ УВИДИТЕ! Хвала Аллаху»

Above all, it seems that voters want someone who stands up to Donald Trump. Mark Carney has acknowledged that he would not have become prime minister or Liberal leader, had it not been for the Trumpian threats to Canada’s prosperity economist.com/the-americas/2…

Georgia deports Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadygov despite ECHR ruling Sadygov, editor-in-chief of Azel.TV, had been living in Georgia with his family since 2023. He was previously sentenced to seven years in prison in Azerbaijan on extortion charges but was pardoned in 2023. Later, a new criminal case was opened against him involving allegations of threats and extortion. The journalist was detained in Georgia in August 2024 and held in pre-extradition custody. During his imprisonment, he conducted a hunger strike that lasted 141 days, ending only after the intervention of the Strasbourg Court. In the spring of 2025, he was released on bail. On April 4, Sadygov was detained again, according to Echo of the Caucasus. This time, he faced administrative charges for allegedly insulting a police officer in a social media post that read: "Where there is a dictatorship, police are ready to sell everything and trample over anyone for a salary and rank—and they do it with pleasure, from the heart, and with pride." His hearing took place around 4:00 AM, after which he was detained and deported to Baku within a matter of hours. According to Sadygov’s defense, the sequence of events points to a joint operation between Baku and Tbilisi: on April 1, Azerbaijan dropped the criminal prosecution that formed the basis for the original extradition request; on April 3, a court lifted Sadygov’s travel restrictions; and by April 4, he was detained and deported. The journalist's lawyer maintains that the deportation occurred in defiance of an interim measure by the European Court of Human Rights, which had previously suspended his extradition. The lawyer also noted that the court failed to consider that Sadygov’s wife and children have asylum in an EU country, where he could have potentially reunited with his family.

Журналист Афган Садыгов, выдворенный из Грузии, находится в Баку ekhokavkaza.com/a/zhurnalist-a…

«Медуза» поговорила с несколькими молодыми украинцами, переехавшими в Европу, когда это стало легально, — о том, почему они так поступили и как к этому относятся их близкие meduza.io/feature/2026/0…

Не прекращайте мечтать! 🧑‍🚀🚀 youtu.be/KTmwY24zA50

– Есть ли в английском аналог выражения «сгорел сарай – гори и хата»? – Конечно, есть: “Let’s re-elect him for a second term!”

Catch up if you missed it: I delved into why it matters that #Uzbekistan is not having an honest conversation about the crimes of the Karimov dictatorship with @Peter__Leonard on the @capsunlock_org podcast - tune in, and read more in my book Silk Mirage havli.substack.com/p/silk-mirage-…

Les militants karakalpaks continuent à être poursuivis par le régime ouzbek à l’étranger. Aqylbek Mouratbaï, qui a dû fuir le Kazakhstan suite à des menaces d’extradition vers l’Ouzbékistan, revient sur son parcours novastan.org/fr/politique/a…

Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov turns 47 years old today. He is serving a 16 year prison sentence in #Uzbekistan for participating in protests. He has repeatedly been subjected to torture and ill-treatment in prison. We call for his immediate release. freedom-now.org/cases/dauletmu…

Karakalpaks are a unique Turkic ethnicity, they are linguistically and genetically identical to Kazakhs but are culturally very Turkmen/Oghuz influenced A rare kind of "Kipchak-Oghuz Synthesis" Some Karakalpaks are also descended from the Khongirad of the Mongol Empire

Karakalpaks are one of the most fascinating Turkic ethnicities: Turkmen by culture, Kipchak by tongue and blood. Descendants of the Golden Horde's Khongirad clan of Mongols. Such an interesting synthesis of cultures.

🇺🇿 Maria Tazhimuratova, the sister of Karakalpak political prisoner Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov, who was sentenced in Uzbekistan to 16 years in prison, recorded a video address to the country’s president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev @president_uz, and to his daughter Saida Mirziyoyeva @SMirziyoyeva, who is the second most powerful figure in the government and oversees the Republic of Karakalpakstan. 🔠 Transcript of the video address: “My name is Maria Tazhimuratova. I am the biological sister of lawyer and journalist Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov. He was sentenced to 16 years of imprisonment and is currently being held in detention in the Navoi region of Uzbekistan. I want to say right away that this video is my personal initiative. I am recording it myself, of my own free will, and I take full responsibility for these words. I am addressing the authorities of the Republic of Uzbekistan. First and foremost – the President of the country, Shavkat Miromonovich Mirziyoyev. And also Saida Shavkatovna Mirziyoyeva, who oversees the Republic of Karakalpakstan. My brother was arrested after the tragic events in Karakalpakstan in July 2022. Since then, he has remained in detention. Over these three and a half years, he has repeatedly been subjected to physical and psychological pressure. Our mother saw the traces of this during her visits with her son. His lawyer, Sergey Mayorov, has spoken openly about this as well. As a result of what he has endured and the harsh conditions of detention, Dauletmurat has lost a great deal of weight. His health has deteriorated sharply. According to our mother, during visits he often cannot eat normally. After eating, he becomes very ill and suffers from severe vomiting. We understand that his condition has also been affected by work in extremely hazardous production – involving lime and coal – where he is not even provided with the most basic protective equipment. I will not go into detail in this video about all the facts of pressure and cruel treatment. My brother’s lawyer has spoken about this many times. International human rights organizations, including the United Nations, have also raised these issues. All of them believe that Dauletmurat’s imprisonment was unjust, that the treatment he has received is inhumane, and that his release would be the right and humane step. Two weeks ago, on January 22, my brother’s lawyer once again made a public statement. And very recently, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, also expressed serious concern about Dauletmurat’s condition. But today I am not speaking as a lawyer or a human rights defender. I am speaking as a sister. We – myself, our mother, and Dauletmurat’s young daughter – have almost lost hope for his release. It is very hard to say this, but it is the truth. We are not asking for freedom. We are asking for mercy. For humane treatment. Right now, my brother is facing a transfer to an even stricter, cell-based prison regime. This means even worse conditions, fewer parcels from family, and even rarer visits with loved ones. For our elderly mother and for his daughter, this will be yet another devastating blow. Dear Saida Shavkatovna, in one of your recent interviews you said that you do everything to make your father happy. Our father passed away many years ago. And Dauletmurat became his replacement for our family. He was our support, our protection. We no longer dream of making him happy. We do not even dream of his freedom. We dream of only one thing – that he survives. That he survives in these conditions. That his health is not completely broken. That he simply stays alive. I sincerely hope that you, as a woman, as a mother, and as a daughter, can feel my pain and the pain of our entire family. Please pay attention to the situation of Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov. I thank you in advance at least for listening to me. Thank you.” 🎦 The video is available on YouTube: youtu.be/XtQSHdS5Faw #Karakalpakstan #Uzbekistan #CentralAsia #Tazhimuratov #Tajimuratov #Mirziyoyev #Mirziyoyeva

Photo book "Soviet Karakalpakstan" added to TheEasternArchive. Published in 1968 this photo book contains many photos of the political, cultural, monumental, and architectural sites of the Soviet ASSR of Karakalpakstan. theeasternarchive.blogspot.com/2026/03/soviet…