Gulnora OLTIEVA:I appeal to you with hope and faith

Dear Hilary Clinton,

I am the wife of an Uzbek poet, a human rights activist and publicist, Yusuf Juma, He was arrested because he dared to openly say to the current president of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov: “Dictator, resign your office!”

He is currently in a far away province in the north of Uzbekisatan, in Karakalpakistan, on the edge of the Plateau Ustyurt, in the minimum security colony of “Jaslik,” where he is tortured day and night.

He is being tortured with a single reason: to kill him. To kill, for the fact that my husband has never liked nor supported the Uzbekistan President-director, Islam Karimov, and that he was never afraid to say so openly.

Recently, our daughter Feruza, after a short visit with her father at the colony, has told us that his condition is critical. His whole body is covered with bruises, with an open wound on his head…

My husband had spoken, read and written poems about his disagreement with Karimov, who has usurped the power in the country, against Uzbekistan Constitution. At the end of 2007 he began to organize pickets, saying that Karimov had no right to be a candidate for a third, unconstitutional term as President of Uzbekistan in December 2007.

He was almost the only free voice for the whole country, but a voice that was very soon captured and locked in prison. Furthermore, in order to increase his tortures, two of our sons, Mashrab and Bobur were arrested along with him.

In the ten months that have passed since the time of his arrest, my husband had been to several of the country’s prisons. Everywhere he was tortured, and told that he is the personal enemy of Islam Karimov, and that the prison guards have permission to murder him.

This is the truth. From the sources in the colony, I have information that even today, Yusuf Juma is dying. His body can no longer tolerate the torture, beatings, being thrown into the cold, concrete isolator cell, as well as the malnutrition.

The dictator Karimov’s regime quickly dealt away with our once big and harmonious family. My husband and sons were arrested, and I and my three children left the country. My heart is breaking, when I remember my arrested 22-year old son, Mashrab. I will most likely never see him again. This is because in the summer of last year, the officials of Uzbekistan have declared a search warrant on him. As if he broke out of prison! Right now we do not know if he is dead or alive…

Dear State Secretary of the U.S.A.

I know that on March 11 you will be issuing awards to the brave women of the world. Among them is Uzbekistan’s human rights activist Mutabar Tadgibaeva. If it is possible, ask her about Yusuf Juma and the use of torture in Uzbekistan’s prisons. As well as how the dictator, Islam Karimov behaves toward people that love freedom.

I appeal to you with hope and faith. Please help to free my husband from Karimov’s tortures. If he is not freed from prison immediately, we will lose him. The authorities of Uzbekistan and personally Islam Karimov want Yusuf Juma’s voice to be silenced forever. This cannot be allowed!

With respect and hope,

Gulnora Olitieva, wife of Yusuf Juma.

P.S. I have passed this letter on through our friend who resides in Canada. I have asked Mutabar Tadgibaeva to pass it personally into your hands, but for some reason she did not want this. She said that it would not be ethical…