April 16, 2015
Amnesty International’s latest report, on torture in Uzbekistan, paints a damning picture.
In a report released Wednesday, Amnesty International highlights the central role of torture in Uzbekistan’s justice system. Based on more than 60 interviews with exiles, human rights defenders, torture survivors and their family members, academics, journalists and others the report, titled Secrets and Lies: Forced confessions under torture in Uzbekistan, sheds light on a tragically familiar topic.
“Torture has become a defining feature of the Uzbekistani criminal justice system,” the report concludes.
It is central to how the Uzbekistani authorities deal with dissent, combat security threats and maintain their grip on power. It is deeply wrong and in the long-run unsustainable. But this has not prevented the international community from turning a blind eye to the glaring indiscretions of a perceived geo-strategic ally. This is both short-sighted and a deep disservice to the thousands of victims languishing in Uzbekistan’s torture chambers.
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