Ajailed 61-year-old Uzbek rights activist has been denied his freedom, despite a recently passed amnesty law.

A court in Uzbekistan’s southwestern Bukhara region on December 27 upheld a decision by the General Directorate for Penitentiaries that the amnesty not be applied to Bobomurod Razzoqov.

A representative for the Ezgulik (Compassion) human rights group, Abdurakhmon Tashanov, told RFE/RL that the amnesty for Razzoqov was denied due to alleged violations of penitentiary regulations.

An amnesty adopted this month stipulated that inmates 60 years of age or older were eligible for early release.

Razzoqov, the chairman of Ezgulik’s Bukhara branch, was sentenced to four years in jail in September on charges of human trafficking.

Human Rights Watch issued a statement in September calling the charges against Razzoqov «retaliation» by Uzbek authorities for his human rights work.