The UN Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has issued an official opinion on the case of Gulnara Karimova.
The UN experts came to the opinion that Gulnara Karimova’s imprisonment had been arbitrary and had violated the international law. This conclusion was based on her case, examined under three categories of arbitrariness: lack of legal grounds for detention, gross violation of the right to a fair trial, and, presumably, politically motivated detention, for which there is insufficient evidence.
The UN staff concluded that Gulnara Karimova’s imprisonment violated the Articles 3, 8, 9 and 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Articles 2, 9 and 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The Government of Uzbekistan issued an official statement expressing concern that the conclusion of the Working Group was built on the basis of biased information provided by some source party.
While, the official response of the government of Uzbekistan, having been sent, but was not taken into account due to procedural deadlines. Such an approach undermines the principles of objectivity and impartiality that should guide UN bodies, the statement said.
The statement emphasized that all criminal cases against Gulnara Karimova had been initiated and considered in strict accordance with the norms of criminal and criminal procedure legislation, as well as taking into account the country's international obligations, including the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The right to defense and a fair trial was ensured at all stages of the criminal process.
Gulnara Karimova was entitled to contact lawyers chosen by her independently or appointed in accordance with the established procedure. The principles of familiarization with case materials, filing complaints against decisions and confidentiality of communication with the defense attorney were observed, the center's statement says.
Reportedly, the court ruling on Karimova's case were issued by competent courts based on sufficient evidence confirming the serious and especially serious crimes, such as tax evasion, money laundering, misappropriation of state property, fraud and other acts that caused particularly large-scale damage to the state.
The allegations of Gulnara Karimova's alleged arbitrary detention in 2014, her lengthy house arrest, "kitchen trial" and other similar statements are not true. All procedural actions and trials were conducted in full compliance with the norms and requirements of procedural legislation. Currently, the convicted person has the right to appeal court decisions in the manner prescribed by law, the report says.
The Uzbek government also categorically rejected allegations of political motives in this case.
Uzbekistan fulfills its international human rights obligations in good faith and confirms its readiness for constructive interaction with UN mechanisms, including special procedures. The government reserves the right to take further steps to protect its reputation in the international arena, as well as to clarify reliable information to a wide range of stakeholders, the statement concluded.
