Solijon Abdurahmanov. Photo: Social Media
In Berlin, at the age of 76, Solijon Abdurahmanov — a former political prisoner, journalist, and human rights defender from Karakalpakstan (a sovereign republic within Uzbekistan) — has died.
According to journalist Shokhrukh Saipov, Abdurahmanov passed away on July 26. The official death certificate states that he was found lying on his side on a mattress, his head on a pillow and his body covered with a blanket. No signs of violence were found; the cause of death was internal (natural) factors. The human rights defender was buried in Uzbekistan.
ℹ️ Born on May 28, 1950, Solijon Abdurahmanov worked for many years with foreign media outlets as a journalist. He was a member of the Committee for the Protection of Individual Rights in Karakalpakstan, defending the rights of farmers and entrepreneurs, raising issues such as child labor, the problems of the Aral Sea region’s residents, the education system, and other pressing social concerns.
In June 2008, Abdurahmanov was arrested in Nukus on fabricated charges of possessing and distributing large quantities of narcotics. The human rights defender categorically denied the accusations, stating that the drugs had been planted in his car. In October of that year, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
While in detention, Abdurahmanov’s health deteriorated, and he was repeatedly transferred from the colony in Kashkadarya to Tashkent’s prison hospital, known as “Sangorod.” International human rights organizations recognized him as a prisoner of conscience and called on the Uzbek authorities to drop all charges and release him.
Although his age made him eligible for Uzbekistan’s annual amnesty for prisoners over 60, the administration of the Kashkadarya colony where he served his sentence regularly attributed “violations” to him — ones he had not committed — preventing him from being included on amnesty lists.
Abdurahmanov was released in October 2017, after Shavkat Mirziyoyev came to power in Uzbekistan. Following his release, he continued his human rights work and sought rehabilitation. However, some time later, he was forced to leave the country and settled in Germany.
Fergana extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Solijon Abdurahmanov.
