Uzbek Opposition Journalist Released After 19 Years In Prison, Activist Says

Uzbek opposition journalist Yusuf Rozimurodov has been released from prison after spending 19 years behind bars, human rights activist Ismoil Adilov has told RFE/RL.

According to Adilov, Rozimurodov was released on parole from a penal colony in the town of Chirchiq near Tashkent on February 22. Adilov added that Rozimurodov was currently in his home village in the southern Qashqadaryo region.

Rozimurodov, 54, was an active member of opposition Erk (Freedom) party and wrote for the party newspaper.

He was arrested shortly after explosions in Tashkent in February 1999 that officials claimed were an attempt on the life of then-President Islam Karimov.

Rozimurodov was later found guilty of plotting to kill the president, plotting to change the country's constitutional order, and creating a criminal group. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

His prison term was later prolonged.

Karimov died in 2016. His successor, President Shavkat Mirziyoev, has been releasing some political prisoners.