DUSHANBE, August 22, 2011, Asia-Plus — BBC Word Service correspondent in Tajikistan, Urunboy Usmonov, has stated that he was tortured after being detained on June 13. He kept silent for more than two months because he was afraid of saying that.
Usmonov told a court that he had been tortured. According to his lawyer Fayziniso Vohidova, she was aware of that from the very beginning but she did not told that at the request of her client. “They intimidated him and he banned me from saying that. He feared that it will be worse,” said Vohidova, “However, he decided to tell that on Thursday.”
According to her, they beat him and burned his arms with cigarettes after he was arrested, “during one day that is dropped from the case.” “Actually, he was arrested on June 13, while charges were officially brought against him on June 15,” the lawyer noted.
“Urunboy Usmonov told the court on August 18 that he was tortured after being detained, but Judge Shodikhon Nazarov, who is presiding over the trial, did not react to his statement,” Vohidova noted.
We will recall that in its statement released on August 19, BBC World Service noted that it is concerned about the treatment of its correspondent, Urunboy Usmonov, after details of torture emerged during his trial which commenced in Khujand last week.
When questioned, Mr. Usmonov told the court that he”d been tortured in custody following his arrest on 13 June this year, including beatings and security officers burning his arms with cigarettes. He also said he”d been forced to sign a confession which had been dictated to him.
The BBC condemns the torture of Mr. Usmonov and has asked the Tajikistan authorities to investigate these incidents.
The BBC has consistently maintained Mr. Usmonov”s innocence and regards the allegations as completely unfounded. Meetings and interviews with people representing all shades of opinion are part of the work of any BBC journalist.
The BBC has asked the Tajik authorities to drop all charges against Mr. Usmonov so he can return to his work as a highly respected journalist and writer.
The trial of Usmonov accused of associating with banned Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir began in the northern Tajik city of Khujand on August 16. Urunboy Usmonov denies the charges, saying any meetings he had with Hizb ut-Tahrir members were for purely journalistic purposes. The reporter said he had interviewed some members of the banned group as part of his work reporting on the region, where Hizb ut-Tahrir is active.
The BBC has said it regards the accusation as completely unfounded. Usmonov”s arrest on June 13 was condemned by international media and rights advocates as a censorship attempt.
Usmonov was released on bail a month after his arrest pending the trial.
