For Immediate Release
Police beat mother of four in Uzbekistan KAGAN, Uzbekistan—On May 1, 2003, in two separate incidents police detained four of Jehovah's Witnesses for over 24 hours and subjected them to grueling interrogation and cruel beatings. Among those detained and beaten was Shazody Pulatova, a 37-year-old mother of four children. Following the pattern of untenable cases brought by police against Jehovah's Witnesses earlier this year, the alleged "crime" was that the accused had been speaking to others about the Bible. According to John Burns, an international human-rights lawyer, Ms. Pulatova was interrogated, verbally abused, and morally denigrated by male police for hours on end. "We have received written statements from the victims describing their ordeal," stated Mr. Burns. "In Ms. Pulatova's case, the police went so far as to try to force her to write a statement under duress. When she refused, she was struck repeatedly on the head and the back." Reportedly, the four were released after foreign officials who learned of the situation brought pressure on the police. However, local officials are pursuing charges against Ms. Pulatova for acts of "proselytism," an offense under the Uzbek criminal code. For local contacts, please phone Mikhail Morosov
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