Babadjanov, Shukhrat
Who, Why and How exiled: Shukhrat Babadjanov is an artist and a journalist from Uzbekistan (Radio Free Europe, 2001). Serious threats led him to flee into exile. Babadjanov was the director of the independent TV station ALC in Urgench, had been fighting authorities for nearly two years after the politically motivated closure of his station. On June 28, 2001 he was refused a broadcasting license (CPJ, 2002).
Shukhrat Babadjanov is the brother of Kudrat and Khurmat Babadjanov (also in this database).
Stage 1 details (accusations/ charges/ Interpol notice/ extradition requests): In April 2017, three women and one man broke into the house of his mother. They shouted at her and insulted her sons whom they called as "traitors to their homeland." When she tried to call, they broke her mobile phone (Centre 1, 2017).
Stage 2 details (arrest/ detention/ extradition): On July 24, 2001 he was ordered to vacate the station's premises. Authorities then ordered him to appear at the prosecutor's office in the capital, Tashkent, on August 6, to face charges of criminal forgery. Instead, he fled and later told CPJ he feared that authorities intended to silence him by putting him in prison on spurious charges (CPJ, 2002).
Legal status (refugee/ asylum seeker/ resident): He first fled to Germany (Radio Free Europe, 2001). In 2010 he was in Prague where was working for Radio Free Liberty Uzbek service (Uzbek-German Forum for Human Rights, 2010).
Current status: He is currently living in Germany and working as a journalist for Radio Free Europe (Centre 1, 2017).
Press sources: CPJ, 2002. 'Attacks on the Press 2001: Uzbekistan'. March 26, 2002. [Online]. Available at: https://cpj.org/2002/03/attacks-on-the-press-2001-uzbekistan.php Gudava, T. 2001. 'Бегство в Германию'. [Online]. Available at: https://www.svoboda.org/a/24201987.html Centre 1, 'Хорезмская милиция ищет скандаливших у матери журналистов «Озодлика»'. [Online]. Available at: https://centre1.com/uzbekistan/horezmskaya-militsiya-ishhet-skandalivshih-u-materi-zhurnalistov-ozodlika/ Uzbek-German Forum for Human Rights, 2010. 'On the laws and practices of the Republic of Uzbekistan regarding the
rights of citizens to free movement and choice of residence'. [Online]. Available at: http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CCPR/Shared%20Documents/UZB/INT_CCPR_NGO_UZB_98_10289_E.pdf