DUSHANBE, June 21, 2011, Asia-Plus — Urunboy Usmonov, a reporter for the BBC World Service Central Asian department, has been given an opportunity to meet with his defense lawyer only six days after his detention.
The BBC reports Ms. Fayziniso Vohidova, who has the legal papers for the defense of Usmonov, met with him in the presence of the investigator on June 20.
Vohidova reportedly expressed concern about health condition of her client. “Usmonov was speaking in a broken voice during our meeting,” the lawyer noted.
According to her, an official charge was brought against Urunboy Usmonov on June 20. Usmonov is accused of membership in the banned extremist organization. “Usmonov, however, denies the charge. He also noted that articles authored by two local journalists are false. He, in particular, called an article by Lenoura Mustafoyeva, a reporter for Pressa.tj, about his meetings with the Hizb ut-Tahrir emir (regional leader) “undisguised slander,” the BBC reports.
During the meeting with the lawyer, Usmonov noted that indeed, two persons had come to his office in Khujand and complained that the BBC and Radio Liberty constantly criticize Hizb ut-Tahrir and asked to make an interview on that subject. “I gave them an opportunity to speak on that subject and they harshly criticized the BBC and Radio Liberty,” he said.
Usmonov remembered that those persons left a book about the Hizb ut-Tahrir ideas in the office but he destroyed it immediately. He said he did not know that those persons were members of the Hizb ut-Tahrir group. According to him, he knew that only after the detention.
Fayziniso Vohidova said that at the request of her client she would file a defamation lawsuit against Lenoura Mustafoyeva and Ilhom Jamoliyon, head of Tajik Journalists’ Union (TJU)’s branch for Sughd province. “In their materials, they wrote on June 17 that Usmonov allegedly rejected the help of a lawyer,” said Vohidova, “Meanwhile, Usmonov was glad to know that his relatives hired a lawyer for him.” According to her, asked why he signed a document on rejecting the help of a lawyer, Usmonov said: “I was interrogated at night, I was shocked, and therefore, I signed that document.”
In the meantime, picket for protection of Urunboy Usmonov was held outside the Tajik Embassy in London on June 20, the BBC reports. Petition signed by some 300 persons was submitted to the embassy.
