DUSHANBE, July 13, 2011, Asia-Plus — The State Committee for National Security (SCNS)’s office in Sughd province has completed investigation into the case of BBC reporter Urunboy Usmonov and handed over it to the Sughd prosecutor’s office, Tajik Prosecytor-General Sherkhon Salimzoda told reporters in Dushanbe yesterday.
According to him, the Prosecutor-General’s Office is currently preparing a detailed report on Usmonov’s case at the request of President Emomali Rahmon.
“I ask journalists not to make any premature conclusions until judicial instances consider the case,” Salimzoda noted.
We will recall that Usmonov, who has worked for the BBC Central Asian Service for 10 years, was arrested on June 13 for alleged membership in the banned religious extremist Hizb ut-Tahrir group. Later, the charge of membership in Hizb ut-Tahrir was reportedly dropped and Usmonov’s defense lawyer, Ms. Fayziniso Vohidova, says that charge of not reporting activity of the banned organization to police still remains in effect.
