His brother and lawyer Bahrom Abdurahmanov described as “unjust” and said that the court had received orders to issue this verdict from on high. He said the trial was nothing but the crush of the journalist.
The lawyer said that the trial had produced no evidence of Salijon’s guilt, despite investigators’ admission that they had no grounds for charging him of either drug use or drug trade.
“This is an order,” the lawyer said, “but we will continue to fight for Salijon’s freedom and are now going to appeal to the Supreme Court of Karakalpakstan.”
Meanwhile, Reporters Without Borders has said that it is shocked at the heavy sentence the journalist received. It thinks that the sentence is the Uzbek government’s deliberate move to silence independent journalists and human rights activists in the country.
“This sentence is disproportionate and unfair. Coming a week after the EU/Uzbekistan forum on liberalising the media and ahead of the EU’s decision about sanctions against Uzbekistan, it looks like provocation,” the worldwide press freedom organisation said.
The only reason for his sentence is his journalistic activities, the organisation believes.
The journalist himself had repeatedly maintained his innocence at the trial, pointing to shortcomings in the investigation into his case.
However, the authorities denied any deliberation in the detention and sentencing of Abdurahmanov.
Reporters Without Borders questioned Uzbek foreign minister, Vladimir Norov about the case and press freedom in the country at a press conference in Paris on 18 September 2008, at the end of an EU/Central Asia summit on security. The minister stressed the urgency of the fight against drugs in Central Asia and refused to consider that the case could amount to a press freedom violation.