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Tajikistan: BBC journalist found guilty, released under amnesty law
PEN International’s Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) | 18 October 2011 RAN 31/11
Urinboy Usmonov, journalist with the British Broadcasting Service’s Central Asian Service, has been found guilty of spreading Islamic propaganda through his reporting on the banned extremist group Hizb-ut-Tahir. Despite the welcome news that Usmonov was immediately released under an amnesty law and allowed to walk free, the Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) of PEN International remains concerned that the charges were the result of Usmonov’s legitimate journalistic activity. The WiPC is also troubled by reports that Usmonov suffered abuse and mistreatment while in detention. The WiPC calls on the Tajik authorities respect their commitments to protect the right to freedom of expression under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Urinboy Usmonov (60) was found guilty of spreading Islamic propaganda through his reporting, and received a three-year sentence at a trial in Khujand, northern Tajikistan, on 14 October 2011; however he was immediately given an amnesty by the presiding judge. Usmonov’s lawyer has said the journalist plans to appeal the sentence in order to restore his reputation.
The statement released by the BBC condemned the verdict claiming that “no evidence of wrong doing whatsoever emerged during the trial” and continued to insist that only a “complete exoneration” of the journalist would be acceptable. Peter Horrocks, Director of the BBC World Service, added that the organisation planned to support Usmonov’s appeal against the verdict.
It was further claimed that Usmonov suffered torture and mistreatment during his detention. The journalist claimed that he had been forced to sign a confession and that guards had beaten him and stabbed cigarettes out on his arms.
In a separate case, another Tajik reporterMakhmadyusuf Ismoilov, was reportedly barred from journalistic work for three years on 14 October 2011, and ordered to pay a 35,800-somoni (approximately $7,100) fine for causing moral damages in his articles whichcriticisedlocalauthorities. Prosecutors had been calling on the court to sentence Ismoilov to 16 years imprisonment for insulting officials, defamation and inciting ethnic tensions. Again the charges are believed to have resulted from his legitimate activity as a journalist.
Background
Usmonov was originally arrested on 13 June 2011 and accused of membership of the banned extremist Islamic group Hizb-ut-Tahir. He was later reported to have been indicted on charges of “making public calls for mass disorder”, which carried a maximum 15 year sentence. This was finally changed to “complicity in the activities of Hizb-ut-Tahrir”, for which he faces up to five years in prison. The BBC has vehemently denied the charges against Usmonov.
While in detention his family had reported that they were concerned about his health as he suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure. Usmonov was visited in prison on 27 June 2011 by Hamid Ismalov (also from the BBC Central Asian Service), who reported that he was ‘horrified’ to find his colleague in an extremely frail physical and psychological state.
Usmonov’s trail began on 15 August 2011.His lawyer, Faiziniso Vokhidova, stated that the prosecutors ‘claimed as evidence’ articles about the banned extremist group which Usmonov had downloaded from the internet, as well as the fact that he has met with several of their members. However, the BBC has previously stated that ‘Usmonov as a BBC journalist is expected to cover all sides of any story and in the course of his work it is only natural that he would meet and interview people representing all shades of opinion’.His lawyer further claimed that he has furthermore been accused of using the BBC “as a platform for Hizb-ut-Tahrir propaganda”.
Centres including English PEN have campaigned for Usumov's release, joining his colleagues at vigils outside the BBC's World Service headquarters at Bush House, central London.
Useful links
- To view the full BBC statement on the verdict, please see http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2011/10_october/14/usmonov.shtml
- For a report by Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty on the release of both Usmonov and Ismoilov see http://www.rferl.org/content/tajik_courts_free_two_journalists/24359961.html
- To view a previous RAN alert on the case see http://www.internationalpen.org.uk/go/news/tajikistan-trial-of-bbc-journalist-begins
Recommended Action:
Please send letters and emails to the Tajik authorities-
* Welcoming the news the Urinboy Usmonov has been granted amnesty.
* Expressing concern, however, over the guilty verdict on charges which seem to be related to his legitimate activity as a journalist and over reports that Usmonov suffered severe abuse while in detention
* Expressing concern at the non-custodial sentence handed toMakhmadyusuf Ismoilov, which again appears to be the result of his legitimate journalistic activity.
* Calling on the Tajik authorities to respect their commitments to protect freedom of expression under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Appeals to be sent to-
Mr. Emomali Rahmon,
President of Tajikistan,
Email: mail@president.tj
Tajikistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Dushanbe Rudaki 42
734051
Fax. 992 372 210 259
Email: admin@mfa.tj
Please also send appeals to the Tajik embassy in your own country, where applicable.
For further information please contact Sara Whyatt at the Writers in Prison Committee of PEN International, Brownlow House, 50-51 High Holborn, London WC1V 6ER Tel: +44 (02) 20 7405 0338 Fax: +44 (0) 20 74050339 Email: sara.whyatt@pen-international.org
International PEN is trading as PEN International. International PEN is a company registered in England and Wales with registration number 05683997. International PEN is a registered charity in England and Wales with registration number 1117088. International PEN’s registered office is Brownlow House, 50-51 High Holborn, London, WC1V 6ER, UK.
