Uznews, Nukus, 27 Mar 2009 – The Karakalpak Supreme Court upheld journalist and human rights activist Salijon Abdurahmanov’s 10-year sentence for the second time on 25 March, not even bothering to explain its decision. Abdurahmanov, 58, Uznews.net’s correspondent in Karakalpakstan, was sentenced in October 2008 for attempting to sell drugs even though his guilt had not been proven.
He and his lawyer insisted that drugs found in his car on 7 June had been planted by police in revenge for his journalistic and human rights activities.
At the trial police officers openly admitted that he had been accused of attempting to sell drugs only because the investigation had established that he did not take drugs. Officers also failed to establish where he had obtained the drugs – 114.18 g of marijuana and 5.89 g of opium – from, if he really had been a drug dealer.
What they did was they printed files found on his computer and showed interest in his journalistic activities.
“The case is totally trumped up, and even a child can understand this. However, the Supreme Court’s judges are not capable of doing the same because this is a political order,” the journalist’s lawyer and brother Bahrom Abdurahmanov.
He also said that it was impossible to fight lawlessness in the country.
Salijon has been held in the Karshi prison since December 2008. His relatives said that when they had seen him in prison he was not complaining about prison conditions.
Number of View: 7728