Zhumasapar Dadebayev
Serious deterioration in health due to beatings and ill-treatment; reportedly hospitalized in a specialized prison medical facility.
Subjected to physical abuse or severe ill-treatment in detention. Violation of international law.
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This individual has been charged under statutes classified as terrorism or extremism offenses. However, these charges should be evaluated with significant scrutiny. International human rights organizations — including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Memorial — have extensively documented that terrorism and extremism statutes in this jurisdiction are routinely applied to prosecute political dissidents, journalists, religious minorities, and peaceful protesters.
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Zhumasapar Dadebayev is an ethnic Turkmen civic activist and blogger originally from the Saraykol area (now Takhtakopir region) of Karakalpakstan. He had been living in Istanbul, Turkey since 2018, where he advocated for greater autonomy or sovereignty for Karakalpakstan and identified himself as founder of a political initiative (Dostluk Party) representing Turkmens of Karakalpakstan. On 10 January 2022, while in the suburbs of Istanbul, he was detained and forcibly transferred to Uzbekistan in an operation believed to involve Uzbek special services. He was then detained upon arrival at Tashkent International Airport on 12 January 2022. On 10 August 2022, the Mirzo-Ulugbek District Court in Tashkent convicted him and sentenced him to 12 years in a penal colony. His appeal was rejected by the Tashkent City Court on 27 October 2022, upholding the original sentence. The charges against Dadebayev especially those relating to terrorism, incitement of ethnic or religious hatred, participation in extremist organisations, and conspiracy to seize power are connected to his online activism and public support for Karakalpakstan’s sovereignty rather than evidence of violent actions. Dadebayev’s charges politically motivated. His trial was closed to the public, which limited transparency and independent scrutiny of the evidence and proceedings.
Zhumasapar Dadebayev is an ethnic Turkmen civic activist and blogger originally from the Saraykol area (now Takhtakopir region) of Karakalpakstan. He had been living in Istanbul, Turkey since 2018, where he advocated for greater autonomy or sovereignty for Karakalpakstan and identified himself as founder of a political initiative (Dostluk Party) representing Turkmens of Karakalpakstan.
Arrest Date
January 10, 2022
Sentence Length
12 years