Biography
Bahodir Chan Turkiston, Bokhodir Choriyev, Bahodir Choryiev, Бахадир Чариев, Баҳодир Чориев, was born on October 31, 1969 into a worker’s family in Shahrisabz district of the Republic of Uzbekistan. After finishing school No 9 in 1986 entered the evening department of Tomsk Polytechnic Institute in Russian Federation and at the same year continued education at the Tomsk Junior Professional College No 17. Graduated from the college in 1987, started his first work experience at “Kontur” plant in Tomsk as a radio-installation specialist and was called for military service at the same year. Married. Has four children. He married Feruza Hurramova in 1989. Children: Sarvinoz 1992, Sevara 1993, Davronbek 1995 and Dadakhon, 2004.
Contents
- Biography
- Start of career
- First court
- Ongoing process
- Human Rights organisation
- Political activities
- Birdamlik Movement
- References
Start of career
He had to transfer his education to the faculty of ASY at Tashkent State Technical University. In 1994, graduated from the University and started working as a junior research worker at the Scientific-research Institute at the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Uzbekistan. In 1995 – a founder of Uzbekistan-China Joint venture “Suvjihozgaz”. In 1996 – founded “Yangi ta’minot” private company. In 1999, bought 60,05% shareholding in “Kesh” Open joint-stock company from Tashkent stock exchanges and due to the majority ownership, was appointed temporary executive chairperson of OJSC “Kesh” on February 25, 2000.
Bokhodir Choriyev becoming a manager without any bribing, in addition, his control of 60,05% of the company and their release of a large company to a stranger was a disappointment to all senior and junior authorities. In general, running business activities among the authorities, totally corrupted since the Soviet era, running their work in a planned economy management, too far from market economy.
To raise OJSC “Kesh” to high-level management levels, Bokhodir Choriyev developed his own economic plan to restore the commercial profitability of OJSC “Kesh” that was near bankruptcy those days. This plan envisaged steps for dissociation from state authorities as much as possible, elimination of state order based cotton mono-culture, cropping grain crops not on the basis of state plans, but for the requirements of the legal entity and other similar new economic decisions based on market economy and used in world economy.
During his work in 2000, Bokhodir Choriyev severely fought with local authorities to eliminate the state order cotton and grain crop mono-culture plans and as a result, in November 2000, OJSC “Kesh” was the first in Uzbekistan that the oblast and district governors had to issue a decision to free the company from the state orders for cotton and grain crops. OJSC “Kesh” carried on in disposing of its property without obeying the state authorities, in the interests of the company and its shareholders working in accordance with existing legislation. Shahrisabz district governor Shuhrat Allanazarov did not like Bokhodir Choriyev’s fight for public interests and running the company activities based on free market economy.
He reproached Bokhodir Choriyev several times not to try to discover America again in Uzbekistan. In May 2000, OJSC “Kesh” General Meeting of Shareholders elected Bokhodir Choriyev chairperson of the board and this decision of the meeting of shareholders was quickly annulled by the oblast department of the State Committee on Property. However, the existing corrupted authorities of Uzbekistan could not bear the fact when the General Meeting of Shareholders of OJSC “Kesh” was held again in September 2000 and reinstated Bokhodir Choriyev in chairman’s position again, thus the shareholders of OJSC “Kesh” were above the government authorities, and their incapability of doing anything against this.
One of the representatives of the government, Deputy Shahrisabz district governor, district Water Facilities Manager S. Pirimov’s repeated words at the General Meetings of Shareholders of OJSC “Kesh”: “The land belongs to the state; you and the people own the material assets of this company only. The shareholders should only receive their dividends on their shares and should not interfere with management affairs”, and his constant speeches from different platforms divided the shareholders into two groups. In September 2000, in collision together, after the latest General Meeting of Shareholders of OJSC “Kesh”, the authorities initiated a criminal investigation against Bokhodir Choriyev and arrested him on January 2, 2001.
On January 4, 2001, without any sanctions from the oblast prosecutor, the local authorities hurriedly appointed an executive chairman to OJSC “Kesh” instead of Bokhodir Choriev against all existing laws of the country. In a very short time, the new chairperson signed a contract with the government and imposed obligations of cropping cotton and grain crops to government orders on the company, and thus brought the company back into the fence of the government. The initiator and organiser of all this work was Botir Amirqulov, Qashqadaryo oblast department manager of “O’zgo’shtsanoat” State Company.
First court
The first court hearings on Bokhodir Choriyev’s case were held in Chahrisabz district in March 2001. The district judge returned his case back to additional investigations, the second court hearings were held in June 2001 in Kitob district. After reviewing the case, instead of releasing Bokhodir Choriyev, the Kitob district judge issued a resolution to free him from the jail on a bail and sent the case for additional investigations.
Ongoing process
The next session was held by the Qamashi district criminal court unfairly and on a biased basis through strong pursuit and pressure on Bokhodir Choriyev and employees of OJSC “Kesh. Against the procedural rules and legislation on hearing the cases in participation of two court councillors, the judge always considered the case with attendance of three councillors beside him.
In 2002, the Qamashi district criminal court issued a resolution that Bokhodir Choriyev was sentenced for 6 years’ imprisonment and released him by applying an amnesty act with a ban for taking any management positions for three years thereafter.
In 2002-2003, Bokhodir Choriyev and his associates in OJSC “Kesh” participated at several court proceedings in order to reinstate their rights and management positions at OJSC “Kesh”. The OJSC “Kesh” “case” got so much expanded that it moved to Tashkent, capital city. The group, who illegally achieved the ownership of OJSC “Kesh” managed to get the consent of M. Asqarov, Head of the Uzbekistan Committee for State Property in their favour for a large amount of bribe. M. Asqarov started imposing direct pressure on the supporters of Bokhodir Choriyev.
In violation of the Law “On shareholding companies and protection of shareholders’ rights” and abusing his authority, M. Asqarov initiated a process of reduction of Bokhodir Choriyev’s shareholding from 60,05% to15% by arranging additional share emission of the Company. Dozens of court cases were initiated to consider the plaintiff claims. Bokhodir Choriyev and his supporters went out for demonstrations demanding M. Asqarov’s retirement from his position of the Head of The Committee for State Property.
Human Rights organisation
While the court proceedings were almost finalised in favour of the shareholders of the public shareholding company, the National Security Services (NSS) of еру country stepped into the affairs. As a result, Bokhodir Choriyev had to suffer severe injustice. For the purposes of getting out of the oblast and winning the battle, he had initially joined a Human Rights organisation.
He studied the activities of Human Rights organisation and opposition activities; and in the course of 2003 organised several pickets, protest demonstrations in protection of his own human rights. In order to earn his bread, he had to use his private car as a taxi, and though it was illegal, together with his wife Feruza Khanum sold newspapers and journals in the streets and thus kept both ends meet. Once he understood the real purpose and sense of Islam Karimov’s regime, he realised that it was impossible to fight for human rights under existing laws and conditions of Uzbekistan.
Political activities
He started looking for ways and means of his main political activities and methods of fighting to abolish this unjust and inhuman regime. Bokhodir Choriyev continued his fight until March 2004 within the existing legislation in the country, and could not manage to return OJSC “Kesh”, he made a special Announcement and joined the opposition. On April 10, 2004, he founded “Birdamlik” Movement, which lately became “Birdamlik” National Democratic Movement both with the target of peaceful fight with the regime. He tried to organise big meetings, protest demonstrations, which resulted in him being attacked on May 21, 2004, severely beaten, putting a sack on his head, his feet and hands tied and kidnapped by NSS. He was left severely beaten and only in his underwear in an abandoned industrial building near the Chirchiq River in Tashkent oblast. The only source of income to his family – his car was burned on the same day.
The meeting, organised by him on June 1, 2004 on the International Children’s Day was a big resonance. Having to face serious pressure and pursuit because of his political activity and unable to afford his family, in June 2004, he had to leave Uzbekistan together with his family.
With the help of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Moscow, on February 10, 2005, the US government gave him and his family were given political shelter. Staying in the USA, he managed to organise and hold big protest demonstrations in Uzbekistan. One of such protest demonstrations was held on May 3, 2005.
He got several books on peaceful fight translated from English into Uzbek. Partly, he met with scientist Jean Sharp and got his books “From Dictatorship to Democracy” and “There are real alternatives around” translated, met with scientist Robert Helvi and got his book “On strategic non-violence fight” translated, got the book “50 important issues in non-violence fight” about activities of Yugoslavia activist group “Otpor” and many other books, scientific works and articles translated into Uzbek and constantly delivered to his activists in Uzbekistan. This work also included translation into Uzbek of the movie “Bringing down a dictator” by director Martin Shin and Bokhodir Choriyev managed to dub the movie into Uzbek. In October 2009, Bokhodir Choriyev announced that he was going back to Uzbekistan to continue his political activities in the country. Right after his return, he was arrested at the Tashkent International Airport and the authorities initiated a criminal case against him. He was released conditionally.
Birdamlik Movement
Despite all the pursuit and pressure, together with Dilorom Is’hoqova, the Uzbekistan Department Head of the “Birdamlik” People’s Democratic Movement, he travelled to most oblasts of Uzbekistan and tried to organise a congress of the “Birdamlik” Movement. The government authorities placed heavy barriers to the representatives from other oblasts of Uzbekistan to arrive to the Congress, held in November 2009. As a result, the Congress was attended by the representatives of Qashqadarya oblast only, and therefore, the Congress was considered to have been held not in the form of a Congress and was held as an oblast Conference of the Movement. In December 2009, Bokhodir Choriyev returned to the USA and continued his political activities.
During 2010-2014 Bokhodir Choriyev managed to hold dozens of small and large demonstrations in Uzbekistan and abroad. In order to shut Bokhodir Choriyev down, in 2013 Islam Karimov’s regime arranged an abominable provocation against his father Hasan Choriev.
This resulted in imprisonment of Hasan Choriev, after his release, he lived in freedom only for 2 months and died of the disease he got infected with in the prison. After Hasan Choriev’s death, Islam Karimov’s regime started an unconceivable pursuit and caused unthinkable problems to Bokhodir Choriyev and his family.
First of all, the authorities made it impossible to allot a piece of land at the cemetery to dig a grave to bury Hasan Choriev, NSS threatened those who came to the funeral and most of these people were made to leave the ceremony. Under instructions by and strict control of NSS, all coffins in the Shahrisabz and neighbouring districts were collected for the “reason” of “disinfection” (this was the first time in Uzbekistan to collect all coffins, refusing to allot a piece of land for a grave for a dead person and banning to perform funeral namaz service). All imams and mullas in the district, who could perform the funeral namaz service were taken under strict control and stopped to go to the funeral of Hasan Choriev. The late Hasan Choriev’s close friend, imam Omonkhon was forcefully kept in Shahrisabz district NSS offices until the funeral was over. When it became clear that digging a grave was impossible, sitting in the USA, Bokhodir Choriyev had to phone call his brothers to dig a grave in their father’s garden. Only after this, the authorities gave a permission to allot a piece of land for digging a grave. The funeral namaz service was performed by close relatives of Bokhodir Choriyev who had special Muslim knowledge.
The “Birdamlik” People’s Democratic Movement made two political full size animation films. The Movement founded the newspaper “Turkiston tongi” (Turkiston morning), which is published in Kazakh and Uzbek languages. The Movement established “Turon” online radio and TV. In 2006 they founded the site www.birdamlik.info and in 2013 – www.mulkdor.com. From its initial foundation days, the Movement has been running its activities owing to the voluntary assistance from the Head of the Movement Bokhodir Choriyev and its activists. The “Birdamlik” People’s Democratic Movement is still continuing its activities without any assistance from any governments or organisation. Bokhodir Choriyev is using most of his personal income, almost 60% to carry out his political activities.
On April 26–27, 2014, the “Birdamlik” PDM managed to hold their first Congress in Saint Luis, USA. The Congress introduced and approved the Movement’s Charter, Program, Manual One, Manual Two and other documents. During presidential elections in March 2015, Alternative Online presidential elections were held at personal initiative of Bokhodir Choriyev. Nine candidates participated at the Alternative Online Elections. Bokhodir Choriyev won the Alternative Online elections.
The dictator of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov, who has been contaminating the life of Uzbek people, who had been drowning the country into an abyss in all aspects, who had been usurping the power personally deprived Bokhodir Choriyev of his citizenship of Uzbekistan.