A 41-year-old Belgian woman raped in Uzbekistan: “People like you are raped here every day,” a police officer tells her

A 41-year-old Brussels woman was kidnapped and raped during a trip to Uzbekistan.

Last July, a Belgian from Brussels went to Tashkent, the Uzbek capital, where she planned to meet a man who had been known on Instagram for two years. The latter had reserved accommodation for their meeting. After a moment spent together, notably watching a football match, the situation changed, as reported by our colleagues at HLN.

Kidnapping and rape

When the woman wanted to leave, the man suddenly changed his attitude, locking the door and hiding the key. According to the Novastan news site, she tried to flee but was violently pushed back and prevented from taking the key. Suffering from sexual assaults and insulting remarks, she was only able to leave the premises the next morning.

After her attack, the victim turned to the Uzbek police, but faced a shocking response. “People like you are raped here every day. What do you want from me?”the officer in charge of his case would have replied. His lawyer was subsequently prevented from accessing the file, and the preliminary investigation quickly concluded that the alleged attacker was dismissed.

According to the victim’s lawyer, links exist between the attacker and the police officer in charge of the investigation, casting serious doubt on the impartiality of the procedure.

Request to reopen the investigation

The Brussels woman’s lawyer is today calling for the reopening of the case and the holding of a fair trial. The victim benefits from the support of the SOS Viol organization, based in Brussels, and the Belgian consulate in Uzbekistan has reportedly taken steps to support her. However, the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet confirmed this information.

Uzbekistan rape