Uzbek activist said forced into mental hospital
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 12 March 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Uzbek activist said forced into mental hospital, 12 March 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/552f9d5615.html [accessed 21 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
March 12, 2015
By RFE/RL's Uzbek Service
TASHKENT – Colleagues say Uzbek human rights activist Aliqul Sarimsoqov has been forcibly placed in a psychiatric clinic.
Aliqul Sarimsoqov, a member of Uzbekistan's Alliance of Human Rights Defense, went missing last week.
His colleague, Shukhrat Rustamov, told RFE/RL on March 12 that Sarimsoqov was forcibly confined to a psychiatric clinic in his native city of Jizzakh.
In the Soviet era, dissidents were often pronounced mentally ill and forcibly treated in psychiatric clinics for years.
Sarimsoqov took part in several rallies in front of the presidential headquarters in Tashkent in recent weeks.
The Alliance of Human Rights Defense has filed a petition protesting Karimov's intention to run in a March 29 presidential election.
Karimov, 77, has ruled the nation of 29 million since 1990, the year before it gained independence in the Soviet collapse.
His government tolerates little dissent and has been accused of frequent human rights abuses.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
