The human rights organization Freedom Now, in cooperation with the international law firm Vinson & Elkins LLP, sent a petition to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (investigating cases of illegal deprivation of liberty, - HT's note) regarding the detention of lawyer Pygamberdy Allaberdyev .
The authors of the document insist that the imprisonment of 48-year-old Allaberdyev, who was sentenced to 6 years in prison in September 2020 for hooliganism and intentional harm to health, is directly related to the fact that he publicly expressed his civil position, and the case is politically motivated. ...
The petition is available in English at the link in pdf format.
“Pygamberdy Allaberdiyev tried to improve the situation in the country, but the government in response wrongfully condemned him on a fabricated case. We are confident that the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention recognizes that Allaberdiev's civil rights have been violated and will demand his immediate release, ”said Freedom Now lawyer Adam Lhedmat .
Recall that according to the official version, the lawyer was detained on September 5 in Balkanabat (formerly Nebit-Dag) for hooliganism, after an unknown young man tried to provoke a conflict with him on the street. The real reason for the detention of the lawyer was the suspicion of the Turkmen special services of Allaberdiev's connections with activists of the protest movement abroad.
A few days before his arrest, Pygamberdy published a video in which he urged people to join the peaceful protest, which was scheduled to take place on September 14, 2020.
Shortly before the start of the court hearings, Allaberdiev's lawyer refused to conduct the case due to his political color. Then about ten other lawyers, to whom the relatives turned, refused to defend the defendant.
Freedom Now is an American human rights organization that protects individuals and communities from government repression by providing direct legal support.
Source: Chronicles of Turkmenistan