With that kind of a black mark in their past, any expelled student has little chance of ever completing higher education at home, which leaves the most likely option for survival in a country with mass un- and underemployment that of migrating for seasonal manual labor to Russia.  But in the downturn, thousands of those migrants have been forced to return home…or forced into criminal activity.

According to Abdusalom Ergashev, a human rights defender from Ferghana city, today on Nov. 16 hearings on a criminal case against Ganikhon Mamatkhanov, a human rights activist, shall begin in Akhunbabaev district court on criminal cases (Ferghana district). On October 10^th 2009 Ganikhon Mamatkhonov, a human rights defender from Ferghana region, was arrested by Ferghana city public procurator’s office under the charges of money extortion. Mr.Mamatkhonov alleges that a local farmer who has been cooperating with the local law enforcement officers planted 500.000 Uzbek sums (approximately $ 350 USD) to Mr. Mamatkhonov’s pocket when the latter was talking to him. Mr. Mamatkhonov then immediately arrested by the officers of the public procurator’s office who were waiting nearby. Mr. Mamatkhonov and his colleagues think that the authorities want to prosecute the outspoken human rights activist who used to openly speak about human rights violations.