HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE REQUESTS EXPLANATION FROM UZBEKISTAN ON EXECUTION OF AN UZBEK NATIONAL

14 April 2005


The United Nations Human Rights Committee has addressed a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan in which it expressed dismay and utmost concern about the execution of an Uzbek national in violation of the Committee's request for interim protection. The Committee requested a prompt explanation from the Government.

The Chairperson of the Committee, Christine Chanet, addressed the letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs on 13 April on behalf of the Committee. It concerns the case of Akhrorkhuzh Tolipkhuzhaev, an Uzbek national who was sentenced to death by the Military Court of Uzbekistan on 19 February 2004, but whose case was pending before the Human Rights Committee for consideration. His case was registered in May 2004 and the Committee had issued a request for interim measures of protection to the Uzbek authorities not to execute him pending the consideration of his case.

On 7 April 2005, the Committee received information that Mr. Tolipkhuzhaev
had been executed on 1 March 2005.

Following examination of its second periodic report in March 2005, the Committee had noted that in several cases, Uzbekistan had executed prisoners under sentence of death, although their cases were pending before the Committee under the Optional Protocol to the Covenant, and requests for interim measures of protection were in place. The Human Rights Committee has consistently affirmed that non respect by a State party of requests for interim measures of protection constitute a grave breach of the State party's obligations under the Optional Protocol to the Covenant.


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