Tortures

Threats during interrogation

("Psychological Pressure and Cruel and Degrading Treatment", par. 1)

Tortures during interrogation (plastic bag)
Department of State (Section 1.c. par. 1)

Although the law prohibits these practices, both police and the NSS routinely tortured, beat, and otherwise mistreated detainees to obtain confessions or incriminating information. Police and the NSS allegedly used suffocation, electric shock, rape, and other sexual abuse; however, beating was the most commonly reported method of torture.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
(Word document, Page 12, par.34)

Prolonged beatings, sometimes with clubs or other implements, suffocation through the use of gas masks or plastic bags, electric shocks, sexual violence, and denial of food or water were said to be common practices.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
(Word document, Page 14, par. 40)

According to the information received from non-governmental sources, torture is being used in virtually all cases in which articles 156, 159 and 244 CC (see appendix I) are invoked, in order to extract self-incriminating confessions and to punish those who are perceived by public authorities to be involved in either religious, or political, activities contrary to State interests (so-called security crimes).

Human Rights Watch
(Page 1, par. 3)

Police in Uzbekistan use electric shock, beatings and rape to compel confessions. They asphyxiate detainees with plastic bags, sprinkle chlorine in gas masks and shut off the air. In basement cells, they hang men naked by their wrists and ankles. In one case last year, doctors found that burns on the body of a prisoner who died in custody were caused by immersion in boiling water.

Human Rights Watch
("Asphyxiation", par. 3)

In the absence of gas masks, simple plastic shopping bags, dubbed "the bag of death" by some former detainees, are used for the same purpose.... Police brought her back to consciousness by throwing water on her, and then used the bag again to suffocate her repeatedly, bringing her to by slapping her face.

Threats with boiling water

Department of State
(Section 1.c. par. 4)

On August 7, authorities returned the bodies of two men, Mirzakomil Avazov and Khusnuddin Olimov, to their families. Both men, members of Hizb ut-Tahrir held in Jaslyk prison, were badly beaten and had burns attributable to scalding water over significant portions of their bodies (see Section 1.a.).

,a href="http://193.194.138.190/Huridocda/Huridoca.nsf/(Symbol)/E.CN.4.2003.68.Add.2.En?Opendocument" target="_blamk">United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
(Word format, Page 17, par. 52)

Pictures were taken of Mr. Avazov's body which was visibly covered with extensive bruises and burns, the latter possibly caused by immersion in boiling water; Mr. Alimov's body was reportedly also covered with the same types of marks and injuries.

Suffocate to death

Human Rights Watch
("Threats", par. 4)

Detainees may be implicitly or explicitly threatened with death if they refuse to give testimony. Several of the methods described above, including slashing with knives and suffocation, may convince victims that they may well lose their lives due to the lethal risk of these methods. Police have explicitly threatened suspects with murder for their failure to confess...

[par.6] False "suicide" attempts constitute one scenario sketched out for detainees whom investigators threaten to throw from upper-story windows. Deaths in detention are commonly reported as suicide attempts, or as the result of accidents, such as suspects "falling" from prison bunks or "tripping."

Department of State
(Section 1.c. par. 1)

Police and the NSS allegedly used suffocation, electric shock, rape, and other sexual abuse...

Amnesty International
("Inadequate investigations of reports of torture and ill-treatment", par. 3)

Methods of torture described included, among others, being beaten with rubber truncheons and plastic bottles filled with water, suffocated, tortured with electric shocks, being suspended by the hands tied behind the back, having hands and feet burned.

Continued