Friday, May 4, 2007

U.S. EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER SENTENCING OF UZBEK RIGHTS DEFENDER

U.S. EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER SENTENCING OF UZBEK RIGHTS DEFENDER. The
U.S. State Department expressed concern on May 3 over the trial and
sentencing of Uzbek human rights activist Umida Niyazova, RFE/RL's
Uzbek Service reported. The statement from Washington said the United
States was "disturbed" by the way Niyazova's trial was conducted, and
said the charges against her were "politically motivated." The U.S.
statement echoes similar criticism of the case by human rights
groups, including the New York-based Human Rights Watch, which have
condemned her detention and prosecution as an effort to silence
critics. Rights groups say the case against Niyazova is connected to
her articles reporting on the May 2005 killing of protesters by
security forces in the eastern Uzbek city of Andijon. A Tashkent
court recently sentenced Niyazova to seven years in prison after a
two-day closed trial in which she was found guilty of illegally
crossing the Uzbek border, distributing materials that threaten
public order, and smuggling (see "RFE/RL Newsline," April 20 and May
2, 2007). RG

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