Former Uzbek political prisoner passes away in Germany

Solijon Abdurakhmonov, a journalist and former political prisoner from Uzbekistan, passed away on July 26 in Germany at the age of 75. The news was confirmed by Abdurakhmon Tashanov, head of the Ezgulik human rights society.

“Aka’s fate is that he could not be acquitted in his case. He was imprisoned on drug charges. He passed at 75—may he rest in peace. Farewell, good person!” Tashanov wrote.

According to him, efforts are currently underway to locate the children of the deceased, who had reportedly been living in Berlin.

Abdurakhmonov was sentenced to 10 years in prison on October 10, 2008, after drugs were allegedly found in his car. He consistently denied the charges, claiming the drugs had been planted by authorities. During his imprisonment in the Sheikhali prison in Karshi, numerous international human rights organizations—including Amnesty International, which declared him a prisoner of conscience—called for his release.

In recognition of his commitment to press freedom, Abdurakhmonov was awarded the Johann Philipp Palm Prize for Freedom of Speech and the Press in 2014. He was released in 2017, shortly after the death of then-President Islam Karimov, having served 9 years and 4 months behind bars.

Abdurakhmonov was widely known for his reporting on the lives of ordinary people in Karakalpakstan and for documenting the devastating human impact of the Aral Sea's desiccation.