Jahangir Mamatov - in Opposition

In Opposition

However, as a result of the Karimov administration’s attacks on human rights and democracy in the country, in 1992 after the bloody events in Tashkent city’s Student Town, he felt compelled to resign his position in protest. Before his resignation from his position he declared that dictatorship was reigning in Uzbekistan. It was the first historical event in which a high government official declared his resignation as a sign of protest to Karimov.

He continued to lead a group of opposition representatives in the Uzbek parliament, who strongly and openly criticized the emerging Karimov dictatorship, and who persisted in fighting for democracy. Mamatov quickly emerged among the most prominent critics of the Karimov regime’s state policy. He was the organizer of the March 28, 1992, Uzbek Democratic Coalition Forum that took place in the building of the Erk/Liberty Democratic Party.

After that, Mamatov led the non-government Turon organization. Even though, this organization could be shut down only by a decision of the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Justice, violating the law, stopped the function of the Turon organization. The belongings of the organization were confiscated.

Jahangir Mamatov wrote the book Games of Palace about Karimov’s actions. Even though the government confiscated the manuscript of the book, the copies became very popular and it was published in the newspaper of ERK Democratic Party in 1994.

On February 7, 1993 the Uzbek government banned the newspaper Erk (Freedom), which was affiliated with the ERK Democratic party, the main party of the democratic political opposition in the country. At that time, Mamatov was a chief editor of the paper, and also deputy chairman of the ERK Democratic Party itself.

• January 6, 1993: He survived an attempted homicide committed near the building of Erk democratic party. The next day, in the Russian newspaper Izvestiya, a journalist by the name of Lebedeva wrote that the attack was organized by the government.

• February 7, 1993: The Uzbek government closed the newspaper in which he was working as the editor-in chief.

On February 13, 1993, the Uzbek government, using the police, forcibly evicted him and his family from their house in Tashkent, and the house was seized by the government and he was forced to move to his hometown Samarkand. Speaking for and believing in freedom now became his only goal in life. He was charged with criticizing the President Karimov in the parliament for his dictatorial behavior.

• March 21, 1993: He went to Azerbaijan to participate in the Turkish World Conference as a representative from the Erk Democratic Party. The conference continued in Turkey, where he announced the range of statements about the emerging dictatorship and oppression of democratic opposition in Uzbekistan. Upon his return from Turkey, on April 17, 1993 he was arrested in Samarkand by Uzbek authorities.

Being afraid of Mamatov’s public popularity the Uzbek government designated high level officials of the government such as General Attorney Boritosh Mustafoyev, Minister of Justice Alisher Mardiyev, Internal Affairs minister Zakir Almatov, and Samarkand Province Governor Polat Abdurahmonov to carry out and conduct the special operation of arresting Mamatov, his family members and friends. Many of Mamatov’s friends that worked in high government offices were forced to resign, and Mamatov himself was stripped of his deputy position in parliament.