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Monday, 27 October 2003
PRISONERS AT NOTORIOUS UZBEK PRISON DECLARE HUNGER STRIKE
By empty (10/27/2003 issue of the CACI Analyst)
Prisoners at the notorious Yaslyk prison in the Karakalpakstan desert declared a hunger strike on 14 October, demanding that the authorities stop persecuting their families and friends, that violence against religious believers be stopped, and that they themselves be released. According to the IGNPU (Uzbek Human Rights NGO), the prisoners were beaten by Interior Ministry troops and a number were sent to other prisons. The Yaslyk prison is notorious not only because of the extreme conditions there due to its location, but also because it is used primarily for political and religious prisoners.
Prisoners at the notorious Yaslyk prison in the Karakalpakstan desert declared a hunger strike on 14 October, demanding that the authorities stop persecuting their families and friends, that violence against religious believers be stopped, and that they themselves be released. According to the IGNPU (Uzbek Human Rights NGO), the prisoners were beaten by Interior Ministry troops and a number were sent to other prisons. The Yaslyk prison is notorious not only because of the extreme conditions there due to its location, but also because it is used primarily for political and religious prisoners. According to Uzbek human rights activists, Yaslyk has the highest death rate of any prison in the country, with inmates reportedly often dying as a result of torture. (Prima-News)