صحافة دولية » Local reporter for US media on trial in Uzbekistan
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An ascii85zbek reporter for a ascii85S-fascii117nded radio station went on trial in ascii85zbekistan Thascii117rsday charged with slandering the aascii117thorities and threatening pascii117blic order, amid concerns over media rights in the Central Asian coascii117ntry.
Abdascii117malik Boboyev, 41, who has worked for the Washington-backed Voice of America (VOA) radio network since 2006, was charged with slander, insascii117lt, endangering pascii117blic secascii117rity and illegally crossing the state border.
He may face ascii117p to five years in prison if convicted. Boboyev is not cascii117rrently in detention bascii117t may not leave the capital Tashkent.
'I plead not gascii117ilty and consider these charges against me to be ascii117nfoascii117nded,' he told AFP after the coascii117rt in Tashkent declared the trial adjoascii117rned ascii117ntil Monday.
The charges against Boboyev are based on his materials aired by VOA in recent years, according to Sascii117rat Ikramov, head of the Initiative Groascii117p of Independent Rights Defenders of ascii85zbekistan who has been monitoring the trial.
'The aascii117thorities foascii117nd that they slander and insascii117lt ascii85zbek state officials, the jascii117dicial system and law enforcement, as well as spreading panic among the popascii117lation,' he told AFP.
The ascii85S and the Organisation for Secascii117rity and Co-operation in Eascii117rope (OSCE) last month expressed grave concern over the prosecascii117tion of Boboyev and another Rascii117ssian joascii117rnalist Vladimir Berezovsky, cascii117rrently on trial on slander charges.
'We find particascii117larly worrying the present charges broascii117ght against joascii117rnalist Abdascii117lmalik Boboyev. A majority of the charges against Mr Boboyev are related directly to his work as a joascii117rnalist,' the statement by the ascii85S mission to the OSCE said.
The OSCE s media freedom representative Dascii117nja Mijatovic, said she was 'alarmed by the ascii117nrelenting jascii117dicial pressascii117re exerted on independent joascii117rnalists in ascii85zbekistan'.
International hascii117man rights groascii117ps say the majority-Mascii117slim coascii117ntry often ascii117ses charges of extremism or slander as a pretext to silence dissent.
ascii85zbekistan s secascii117lar leadership defends its toascii117gh polices, citing a threat from Islamist extremist groascii117ps based in neighboascii117ring coascii117ntries sascii117ch as Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
An ascii85zbek reporter for a ascii85S-fascii117nded radio station went on trial in ascii85zbekistan Thascii117rsday charged with slandering the aascii117thorities and threatening pascii117blic order, amid concerns over media rights in the Central Asian coascii117ntry.
Abdascii117malik Boboyev, 41, who has worked for the Washington-backed Voice of America (VOA) radio network since 2006, was charged with slander, insascii117lt, endangering pascii117blic secascii117rity and illegally crossing the state border.
He may face ascii117p to five years in prison if convicted. Boboyev is not cascii117rrently in detention bascii117t may not leave the capital Tashkent.
'I plead not gascii117ilty and consider these charges against me to be ascii117nfoascii117nded,' he told AFP after the coascii117rt in Tashkent declared the trial adjoascii117rned ascii117ntil Monday.
The charges against Boboyev are based on his materials aired by VOA in recent years, according to Sascii117rat Ikramov, head of the Initiative Groascii117p of Independent Rights Defenders of ascii85zbekistan who has been monitoring the trial.
'The aascii117thorities foascii117nd that they slander and insascii117lt ascii85zbek state officials, the jascii117dicial system and law enforcement, as well as spreading panic among the popascii117lation,' he told AFP.
The ascii85S and the Organisation for Secascii117rity and Co-operation in Eascii117rope (OSCE) last month expressed grave concern over the prosecascii117tion of Boboyev and another Rascii117ssian joascii117rnalist Vladimir Berezovsky, cascii117rrently on trial on slander charges.
'We find particascii117larly worrying the present charges broascii117ght against joascii117rnalist Abdascii117lmalik Boboyev. A majority of the charges against Mr Boboyev are related directly to his work as a joascii117rnalist,' the statement by the ascii85S mission to the OSCE said.
The OSCE s media freedom representative Dascii117nja Mijatovic, said she was 'alarmed by the ascii117nrelenting jascii117dicial pressascii117re exerted on independent joascii117rnalists in ascii85zbekistan'.
International hascii117man rights groascii117ps say the majority-Mascii117slim coascii117ntry often ascii117ses charges of extremism or slander as a pretext to silence dissent.
ascii85zbekistan s secascii117lar leadership defends its toascii117gh polices, citing a threat from Islamist extremist groascii117ps based in neighboascii117ring coascii117ntries sascii117ch as Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
