KHUJAND, October 3, 2011, Asia-Plus — The trial of Mahmadyusuf Ismoilov, a regional reporter for the Dushanbe-based independent weekly
Nouri Zindagi
, was adjourned today.
According to Ms. Muhabbat Jourayeva, the defense lawyer of Mahmadyusuf Ismoilov, the Taboshar city court chairperson, Ms. Saodat Atoyeva, who is presiding over the trial, says the trial was adjourned because one of associated judges got sick.
We will recall that at a hearing on September 29, prosecutors asked the court to convict Ismoilov and sentence him to 16 years in jail. Muhabbat Jourayeva, Ismoilov”s lawyer, told the court that investigators had failed to prove the journalist”s guilt, and asked them to drop the charges and release him. Ismoilov has denied any wrongdoing.
Mahmadyusuf Ismoilov was arrested last November on separate counts of defamation, insult, and incitement to hatred over an article titled, “Asht Is Being Destroyed. Who Is Responsible for It?” In the article, published in the August 2010 issue of
Nouri Zindagi
, Ismoilov criticized government and law enforcement officials in the Asht district in the northern Sughd province of Tajikistan, and cited corruption, abuse of office, and mismanagement of funds.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) released a statement on September 29, condemning the ongoing imprisonment of Ismoilov.
“The Tajik authorities are using the threat of prison to intimidate journalists and shield officials from public scrutiny,” said CPJ Deputy Director Robert Mahoney. “Instead of demanding a preposterous 16-year sentence for Mahmadyusuf Ismoilov, the prosecution should drop all charges against him immediately.”
Earlier this month, local and international press freedom advocates wrote an open letter to Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, calling on him to ensure a fair trial for Ismoilov.
