DUSHANBE, February 7, 2011, Asia-Plus – The preliminary hearing for the lawsuit against the
Asia-Plus
newspaper set for today has been canceled as plaintiff’s representatives have not come.
Shuhrat Qudratov, a lawyer for the
Asia-Plus
newspaper, says that at first, the preliminary hearing was scheduled for February 14. “On February 5, Nusratullo Asadullo, the judge from the court in Dushanbe’s Firdavsi district who is taking in the trial, said that the preliminary hearing will take place on February 7, at 9:00 am,” said the lawyer, “The hearing was canceled because representatives of the plaintiff did not come.”
Judge Asadullo noted that consideration of the lawsuit would start on February 14 but the defendants demand the preliminary hearing for the lawsuit. “An appropriate application on this subject has been lodged to the court,” Qudratov said.
The defendants also drew attention of the judge to the fact that the plaintiff have not yet paid a 6,000 somoni state duty.
We will recall that Anvar Taghoymurodov, the chief of the Interior Ministry body empowered to combat organized crime, in late January filed the defamation lawsuit in the court in Dushanbe’s Firdavsi district against the
Asia-Plus
newspaper, asking for 1 million somoni as compensation for moral damage caused by article published by the newspaper.
The Interior Ministry high-ranking official who filed the lawsuit as private citizen claims that the article entitled “Investigation or Inquisition?” printed in the newspaper in December defames his honor and reputation.
The article was about use of torture by officers from the Interior Ministry Division for Combating Organized Crime (UBOP) and its office in Sughd province during interrogations to extort confessions.
