Uznews, Tashkent, 14 Sep 2008 – Karakalpakstan’s Tahtakupir District court started the trial of human rights activist and journalist Salijon Abdurahmanov who is charged with drugs sale in Nukus on Friday.
The trial of Abdurahmanov, Uznews.net’s correspondent in Karakalpakstan, started in a little room in order to prevent people from attending the trial and only his relatives managed to be present.
His lawyer Bahrom Abdurahmanov said that the trial started charges being read out. Salijon is charged under Article 25-273, Part 5 of the Uzbek Criminal Code with “selling drugs in large consignment”.
The lawyer said that the prosecutor failed to provide a single piece of evidence to back up the charges.
“There are an abstract charge and the defendant but there is no link between them and the prosecutor failed to provide it,” the lawyer said.
Two traffic officers who stopped Salijon’s car on 7 June were presented at the trial but the two police officers and sniffer dog specialist who had searched his car and found drugs were not present.
“It would be good to hear their evidence in court because the charge is very serious,” Bahrom Abdurahmanov said. Salijon and his friend Fayzulla, who was in the car when it was stopped, say that the sniffer dog sniffed nothing, the lawyer said.
Salijon maintained his innocence at the trail and said that the drugs had been planted in his car to punish him for his journalistic and human rights activities.
The trial will continue at 1100 on 18 September.
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