DUSHANBE, July 19, 2011, Asia-Plus — The Embassy of the United States of America welcomes the release of BBC journalist Urunboy Usmonov and the General Prosecutor’s Office’s decision to drop charges related to Hizb ut-Tahrir affiliation, a statement released by the US Embassy in Dushanbe on July 19 said.
“Mr. Usmonov, like all journalists, must meet with a wide range of individuals to properly perform his legitimate work as a journalist. We call on the authorities to drop the remaining charge against him of failure to inform the authorities of illegal activities.”
We will recall that Urunboy Usmonov, 60, was detained on June 13 and accused of belonging to the banned Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, which he denies. Investigators have since dropped two initial charges. They had originally accused Usmonov of being a member of Hizb-ut-Tahrir and of making “public calls to forcibly change the constitutional system of Tajikistan.” The journalist is being charged with failing to report the activities of the Hizb ut-Tahrir group to the Tajik law enforcement authorities.
On July 14, Prosecutor-General Sherkhon Salimzoda signed an order for Usmonov”s release on condition that he does not leave the city of Khujand. “Prosecutor’s office has studied a criminal case against Usmonov and come to the conclusion that it can continue conducting the case without keeping the accused in custody,” Salimzoda told Asia-Plus in an interview.
