UN Appeal by Attorney Gulnar Karimova
Rewritten Article:
UN Called to Recognize Daughter of Former Uzbek President as Unlawfully Imprisoned
On June 4, lawyers for ex-President Islam Karimov's eldest daughter, Gulnara Karimova, filed a formal complaint with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. The lawyers claim Gulnara's human rights are consistently violated behind bars, according to Gazeta.uz.
Lawyers Call Out Unfair Treatment of Karimova
In a statement published by lawyer Grégoire Mangeat, it's asserted that Gulnara Karimova endures regular rights violations while incarcerated. Back in 2019, she was moved from house arrest to a women's prison.
"Her trial, which began 18 months after her abduction in 2014, was held in secret chambers. Karimova was denied fair access to her lawyers and case files. We've never witnessed a defendant being tried in a closed-door kitchen guarded by armed personnel! The Uzbek regime is employing ruthless and torturous methods against Gulnara Karimova. She is in complete isolation. We urge Uzbek authorities to honor international commitments and immediately and unconditionally release her," reads the lawyers' statement.
Moreover, the lawyers reproach the West — particularly Switzerland's justice system — for supporting injustice by validating "unfounded" Uzbek court verdicts.
The complaint sent to the UN points out that the West's failure to condemn rights violations in Uzbekistan only strengthens physical and mental pressure on prisoners like Gulnara Karimova.
Gulnara Karimova, now 49, sent poems about her prison torments to the outside world in March 2021. Unfortunately, her daughter, Iman Karimova, who traveled from London to see her mother in April, was refused a visit by the head of the women's colony, Gulhakhan Karimova.
In 2019, Swiss lawyer Grégoire Mangeat was banned from entering Uzbekistan. The Uzbek General Prosecutor's Office stated that foreign lawyers were not allowed to practice in the country. Prior to this denial, Mangeat reported harsh prison conditions and denied legal representation for inmates in Zangiota colony.
As of now, Gulnara Karimova is serving a 13-year and 4-month sentence. Her trial, held behind closed doors, found her guilty of organizing a criminal group, fraud, embezzlement, and laundering illicit proceeds. Her sentence began August 21, 2015.
Swiss lawyers advocating for Karimova and her family contend that human rights were violated during the investigation and imprisonment, but Uzbek officials have repeatedly denied these allegations.
Insights:
Gulnara Karimova is currently serving a 13-year sentence in Uzbekistan. Although rumors of her release have surfaced, they have been officially denied by Uzbek authorities as of April 2021. Gulnara was shifted from Women's Colony No. 21 to Residential Colony No. 42 in Zangiota district in early 2021[1].
Overseas investigations concerning Gulnara's extensive corruption and money laundering activities began around 2012. European nations uncovered allegations that she received bribes from telecommunications companies for access to the Uzbek market. These illicit funds were primarily laundered through Swiss banks, resulting in the confiscation of over $555 million on Switzerland's part in 2018. Switzerland has also returned significant funds to Uzbekistan, with $131 million repatriated and an additional $182 million expected, alongside $108 million returned by Belgium connected to related corruption cases[2][3].
Despite international efforts primarily aimed at asset recovery, no credible information indicates that international authorities have officially deemed her imprisonment illegal based on available sources[2][3]. Uzbek officials have not acknowledged any illegality in her detention.
- Lawyers for Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of former Uzbek President Islam Karimov, have called out the unfair treatment she experiences in prison, claiming human rights violations.
- The lawyers allege that Gulnara's trial was held in secret chambers, denying her fair access to lawyers and case files, and they urge Uzbek authorities to immediately release her in accordance with international commitments.
- The lawyers also criticize the West, particularly Switzerland's justice system, for validating unfounded Uzbek court verdicts by failing to condemn rights violations in Uzbekistan, which only strengthens physical and mental pressure on prisoners like Gulnara Karimova.
- The lawyers' complaint to the UN argues that the West's silence on the matter strengthens the policy-and-legislation, politics, and crime-and-justice of the Uzbek regime in their ruthless treatment of Gulnara Karimova.
- The ongoing situation of Gulnara Karimova, serving a 13-year and 4-month sentence in Uzbekistan, brings attention to the fabricated nature of her trial, as her human rights have been consistently violated, according to the lawyers' statements.
