DUSHANBE, April 13, 2010, Asia-Plus – Statements by representatives from the Supreme Court demonstrate that the outcome of the hearing for a lawsuit against the Dushanbe weeklies
Asia-Plus
,
Farazh
and
Ozodagon
is already predetermined, a statement released by the weeklies on April 13 says.
An article by three judges from the Supreme Court (Mr. Sh. Azimov, Ms. L. Qobilova, and Ms. S. Kholova) published in
Asia-Plus
on March 31 claims that separate media have allegedly launched campaign to discredit the country’s judicial system. Such statements by powerful judges give us reason to say that the hearing outcome is already predetermined, the statement said.
The First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Court, Anvarjon Yusupov, went in and stated in his interview with
Crime-Info
that “violating norms of law, separate media – the newspapers
Asia-Plus
,
Farazh
and
Ozodagon
– have broken a campaign aimed at discrediting the sentence and recalling it through publication of illegal statements by former prosecutor-general, public prosecutor, lawyer S Jourayev, etc.” According to him, the judges applied to court for protection of their “… professional and human honor and dignity…and the main violation made by the media is the fact that they were tied to the chariot of lawyer Jourayev, who deliberately deluded them.”
According to respondents, an unprecedented pressure is being made on the presiding judge Amriddin Safoyev. Besides, the court has not adopted a written decision on applications made by them, the statement said.
“All this gives us the right to speak about the out-of-law situation that emerged around the lawsuit filed against us,” the statement said.
The editors are currently considering the issue of filing lawsuits against the first deputy chairman of the Supreme Court A. Yusupov and three judges from the Supreme Court who permit themselves to make illegal and insulting statements against media and thereby making pressure on the presiding judge, according to the statement.
“We are ready to uphold our positions and if necessary, we will appeal to international judicial bodies in order to prove that not we but judges themselves discredit the country’s judicial system, using law in their own interests,” the statement said.
