Uznews, Tashkent, 03 Apr 2009 – An investigation into the case of Tashkent-based journalist Dilmurod Sayid who has been accused of extortion by Samarkand Region authorities has stalled because investigators do not have new material and witnesses who can give evidence against the journalist.
The journalist’s lawyer Ruhiddin Kamilov said that despite this, investigator Suhrob Majidov from the Samarkand Region prosecutor’s office did not intend to drop the case while the journalist was still held in custody.
“According to the law, investigation cannot last for more than three months but it can be extended if necessary. The investigation in my client’s case will be completed no earlier than the end of May,” Kamilov said.
He said that the charge had been trumped up to silence his client. Not only does he believe in his client’s innocence but also in the successful outcome of the case.
“I have an impression which never fails me that Sayid will soon be released,” he said.
Sayid was detained in Tashkent on 22 February after a certain Marguba Jurayeva claimed that he had extorted $6,000 from businessmen from Samarkand Region in return for not publishing critical articles about them. The woman claimed she was an intermediary between the journalist and the officials.
She later changed her evidence but the lawyer says that even without this he will prove his client’s innocence.
At face-to-face meetings with Sayid, the businessmen said that the journalist had not demanded or taken any money from them, Kamilov said, adding that the investigation was trying hard to trump up charges against him to silence him.
“Investigators were warned about this case, but isn’t it strange that Sayid was detained before he received a bribe? Had he been detained red-handed the prosecution would have had the undisputable proof of his guilt,” the lawyer said.
He added that he was confident about Sayid’s honesty because he had been his friend and colleague for a long time.
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