[1] Before his arrest, Karmatov was an activist with the Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan in Guliston, Sirdaryo Province.
[1] The two later reported torture by security forces, including partial suffocation with a disconnected gas mask and beatings on the legs and heels.
[3] Front Line also described the arrests as politically motivated and "part of an ongoing campaign against human rights defenders in Uzbekistan".
[1] His wife visited in a month later and reported that he was in poor health, with low body weight and difficulty eating; a prison doctor confirmed that Karmatov had tuberculosis in both lungs.
[2] His wife alleged that he continued to be mistreated by prison guards, being forced to stand in freezing temperatures for hours on 8 December 2008 without a hat or coat.