Joint Request to the Uzbek Ombudsman for Intervention in the Case of Imprisoned Lawyer Abdulaziz Razzokov

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Geneva and Tashkent, 3 July 2026 — Justice pour Tous Internationale (JPTi) and the TOLEGRO Attorneys at Law Bureau submitted a joint request to the Ombudsman of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Ms Feruza Farkhodovna Eshmatova, on 29 June 2026, seeking a human rights intervention in the case of imprisoned lawyer Abdulaziz Razzokov.

The submission was prepared in the interests of Mr Razzokov by attorney Jasur Mavlyankariev and Sharof Azizov, Executive Director of JPTi, acting as Mr Razzokov’s representative before national and international human rights mechanisms. The request does not ask the Ombudsman to replace the courts or to decide the criminal case. Instead, it asks the Ombudsman to exercise her independent human rights mandate by reviewing whether minimum guarantees of legality, fairness, protection against torture and ill-treatment, the right of defence, and the special guarantees of the legal profession were respected.

The request identifies several issues requiring independent assessment, including the legality of operational-search measures against a practising lawyer, the protection of lawyer-client confidentiality, the alleged loss or non-disclosure of potentially exculpatory materials, the handling of audio and digital evidence, possible conflicts of interest involving a key witness, allegations of torture, pressure and ill-treatment, access to medical assistance, and the effectiveness of subsequent judicial review.

The applicants request the Ombudsman to prepare a reasoned human rights opinion on the basis of the submitted materials and, if necessary, narrowly targeted requests to the competent authorities. They also request a confidential meeting with Mr Razzokov in the place where he is serving his sentence, support for an independent medical examination, and consideration of whether the Ombudsman’s findings should be transmitted to the competent authorities, including in connection with any further application by the defence for review before the Supreme Court of Uzbekistan.

In addition to the individual case, JPTi and TOLEGRO request the Ombudsman to consider launching a comprehensive study on the safeguards of lawyers in Uzbekistan, including protection against unlawful interference, pressure, misuse of operational-search measures, breaches of lawyer-client confidentiality, and premature disciplinary or institutional pressure before final judicial determination. The applicants encourage the Ombudsman to publish the findings and recommendations of such a study in an interim thematic report, in addition to the Ombudsman’s annual report to the Oliy Majlis (Parliament), with a view to improving and strengthening the practical safeguards of the legal profession.

The case was first submitted by JPTi to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on 15 December 2025, followed by a supplementary submission and a draft proposed communication to the Government of Uzbekistan on 5 January 2026. It remains pending despite repeated follow-up requests.

This delay is particularly troubling because the case concerns an imprisoned lawyer, allegations of torture, and serious questions about the independence of the legal profession. JPTi notes, from its own experience with the WGAD Secretariat, that delays may occur, but they must be handled internally with diligence, urgency and institutional discipline. In the present case, however, the Secretariat appears to have lost the necessary grasp and efficiency, even though JPTi already provided a detailed case file, supplementary materials, and a draft proposed communication.

It would be deeply ironic if the case reaches meaningful review at the domestic level through the Uzbek Ombudsman before receiving basic procedural attention from the UN Secretariat in Geneva. This raises an uncomfortable question: in practice, who is exercising the protection mandate with greater accountability, seriousness and efficiency, the Uzbek Ombudsman, JPTi, or the UN Secretariat supporting the Working Group? JPTi therefore appeals to Ms Ganna Yudkivska, Vice-Chair on Communications of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, to take this case under her personal attention and ensure that it is processed without further delay.

JPTi expresses its gratitude to the International Observatory of Lawyers at Risk (OIAD), which publicly documented the case of Abdulaziz Razzokov and raised concern about his detention, alleged torture and ill-treatment, and prosecution as a practising defence lawyer. JPTi hopes that the OHCHR Secretariat will urgently take the necessary procedural steps, stop allowing administrative delay to weaken the protection mandate of the Working Group, and ensure that the case is placed before the mechanism without further delay.

JPTi and TOLEGRO underline that the submission to the Uzbek Ombudsman is framed carefully and proportionately. It is not intended to overburden the Ombudsman or to substitute judicial proceedings. Its purpose is to support an effective national review of serious human rights concerns and to strengthen the practical application of Uzbekistan’s own reforms concerning fair trial guarantees, the exclusion of evidence obtained unlawfully, the independence of lawyers, the prohibition of torture, and the protection of human dignity in criminal proceedings.

The full submission, together with the analytical summary, chronology and matrix of alleged violations, will be published for public access.

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The full text of the submission and supporting documents can be downloaded here:

Full submission: