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| Abdumalik Boboev | |
The Tashkent City Court of Appeals upheld the sentence of Voice of America correspondent, Abdumalik Boboev, who has to pay a fine of $8,200.
Judge, Rustam Rasulov, allowed all observers, human rights activists and independent journalists, as well as the United States and the British Embassy officials to attend the hearings on journalist’s appeal.
At the beginning of the hearings, Boboev said that it was a crime to conceal violations of the law from the people and that his duty as a journalist, enshrined in the constitution, was to write the truth about his country.
Boboev's lawyer, Sergey Boboev, said at the trial that no proof of his client’s guilt had been presented at the trial.
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| Activists unfold their placards to protest against the trial | |
In fact, the opinion of the expert of the Uzbek Telecommunications and Information Technology Agency’s Center for Monitoring the Media on Boboev’s news reports became a basis for the charges against him. The expert said that his reports pose a threat to public security as it might spread panic among the population.
It turns out Boboev was found guilty and convicted of crimes he had not committed.
Aide to the Tashkent City Prosecutor, Karim Ganibayev, said at the trial that Boboev’s guilt had been proven and urged the judge to uphold the ruling of the Mirzo-Ulugbek Court of October 15, 2010.
As a result, the judge ruled to uphold the journalist’s sentence.
Also, the U.S. embassy in Uzbekistan issued a statement condemning the conviction of Voice of America correspondent, Abdumalik Boboev, which, it said, was unconstitutional.
“Using the criminal justice system to punish journalists for freely expressed views is contrary to Uzbekistan's constitution and international obligations, and has a chilling effect on journalists throughout the country,” the statement said.
Link to the article: http://uznews.net/news_single.php?lng=en&sub=hot&cid=3&nid=15623
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