Protesters for Choriev in Qarshi beaten and detained

03.07.13 23:30

During an attempt to stage a protest today in Qarshi in support of Khosan Choriev, who is accused of rape, his family members were attacked by a group of women and then detained by police.

About twenty women attacked the protesters in front of the Kashkadarya prosecutor’s office.

They beat Choriev’s family members and human rights activists who came to support them so savagely, that two women – Choriev’s youngest daughter, and the leader of Uzbekistan’s Human Rights Alliance, Elena Urlaeva – were knocked unconscious.

Then they stole the protesters’ cell phones, cameras and other electronics and dragged them to the Qarshi police headquarters.

Peaceful protest

At 10 am Choriev’s relatives who reside in Kashkadarya arrived to the local prosecutor’s office. Choriev was detained June 17 and charged with raping a young woman.

The group consisted of 13 people, mostly women and children, all wearing white scarves, which were intended to symbolize a peaceful protest against the elderly Choriev’s arrest.

The family members think he was arrested because he is the father of Bakhodyr Choriev, leader

of “Birdamlik” opposition movement, who resides in the United States but hasn’t stopped being active in Uzbekistan’s politics and has stated his intent to run for President of Uzbekistan.

Besides Choriev’s family members and Ms. Urlaeva, “Birdamlik’s” leader in Uzbekistan Malokhat Eshankulova, also participated in the protest.

Choriev’s family members were planning to stage the Qarshi protest on June 27 but changed their plans at the last minute, and on June 26 they petitioned the city officials for a permit to stage the protest on July 3.

They never received permission, but their request was not officially denied either.

The Chorievs have no doubt that the elderly Mr. Choriev’s arrest on rape charges is a blatant fabrication, whose sole purpose is to disgrace the family.

“We’ve lived together for 46 years and Khasan-aka have never so much as looked at another woman,” said Noroy Khasanova—Choriev’s wife.

Raped at the prosecutor’s office?

Besides Choriev’s moral standing, which leads the family to firmly believe in his innocence, there are also circumstances of a physical nature.

The relatives say that in the last two years 71-year-old Choriev has had a heart attack, a stroke, and has undergone surgery.

On the day before the alleged rape, June 12, he came home from a dinner very ill, said “I might have food poisoning”.

He took some home remedies, but that night he had heart troubles for which his daughter-in-law had to give him an injection.

As a result, on the morning of June 12 Choriev was so ill he had to use a cane to walk when he went to the Prosecutor’s office for a meeting.

“The prosecutor’s time frame just doesn’t work”, said Eshankulova, who had been in constant contact with Choriev during that day.

Choriev was escorted to the prosecutor’s office by two police officers no earlier than 8 am. It takes a minimum of half an hour to drive from Shakhrisabz to Qarshi.

According to Eshankulova, at the prosecutor’s office the elderly man was forced to wait in someone’s empty office, then had a meeting with an investigator named Togaev, then he had tea with the assistant prosecutor in another room.

At the same time, prosecution claims the rape took place at 11 am.

Eshankulova suspects the conversation Khasan Choriev had that morning with the assistant prosecutor holds the key to the “rape” charges.

The old man told the assistant prosecutor: “I want to live a quiet life. What do you want from me?”

The official said with a smile: “First you have to make your son be quiet”.

Uznews.net