Front Line is deeply concerned following reports of an attack on human rights defender, Ms Yelena Urlaeva, and her five-year-old son. Yelena Urlaeva is a member of the Human Rights Alliance of Uzbekistan. Front Line has issued previous appeals concerning Yelena Urlaeva, most recently on 14 May 2008 and 23 March 2007.

Further Information

On 22 April 2009, approximatively at 6.30pm, Mukhammad Mashurov, the five-year-old son of Yelena Urlaeva, was assaulted near his apartment building by an unknown young man who hit him with a baton on the head. The child was diagnosed as being concussed. At the children's hospital N14 of Tashkent, where Mukhammad was admitted, doctors refused to note in his medical card that the concussion was the result of an attack. Yelena Urlaeva reported the incident at the local police station, but she was told that a child's testimony was not sufficient evidence to warrant a serious investigation. Following the attack on her son, Yelena Urlaeva received a telephone call from an unknown male caller who threatened her with an “even worst attack”.

On 15 April 2009, Yelena Urlaeva was with her son when she was assaulted and threatened by two unknown young men near her apartment building in Tashkent. Her assailants were dressed in black and wearing sunglasses. They kicked and punched her in the head and chest and demonstratively cut her leather jacket with knives. On that occasion, Yelena Urlaeva also filed a complaint with the police but the investigation has not yielded any results yet. Yelena Urlaeva believes that the attacks against herself and her son could be part of a campaign of intimidation and harassment against her.

Front Line is extremely concerned for the security of Yelena Urlaeva and members of her family, and fears that these threats and attacks are an attempt to sanction her legitimate work in defence of human rights in Uzbekistan.