KHUJAND, August 18, 2011, Asia-Plus – On Thursday, August 18th, the trial against BBC reporter Urunboy Usmonov continued at Khujand’s #2 Temporary Detention Center.
Four witnesses, who were already found guilty of being members of Khizb-ut-Takhrir extremist movement, have testified at the trial that Usmonov is not a member of the extremist party and never heard him advocating the party’s ideas through BBC service.
Usmonov shares the dock with four residents of Sughd area accused of being members of the banned Khizb-ut-Takhrir. Usmonov’s case was joined with criminal cases of these four persons when they testified against the reporter.
However, during the confrontation and during the first day of trial they changed their testimonies telling that they are members of Khizb-ut-Takhrir party.
The next hearing is scheduled for August 23rd at the regional court. Usmonov’s defense attorney Faizinisso Vokhidova asked the judge who presides over the trial to invite pre-trial investigator from the Tajik State National Security Committee’s Office for Sughd area who investigated the case and the officer by whom the reporter was arrested.
Representatives of OSCE and NANSMIT, as well as reporters from BBC’s Moscow and Dushanbe Bureaus, Asia-Plus and Ozadagon observe the trial.
