|
|
UZBEKISTAN:
JOURNALIST IMPRISONED - AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CALLS FOR RELEASE (MaximsNews.com, U.N.) |
UNITED NATIONS - / www.MaximsNews.com @ U.N.
/
- 06 May 2007 –
Amnesty International has called for the immediate and unconditional release of
Uzbekistani journalist and human rights activist Umida Niazova.
|
The
organization was reacting to news today that Umida Niazova was sentenced to
seven years' imprisonment after an unfair trial.
"Amnesty
International considers Umida Niazova to be a prisoner of conscience, sentenced
solely for carrying out her human rights activities," said Halya Gowan,
Deputy Director of Amnesty International's Europe and Central Asia Programme.
"The
authorities of Uzbekistan are obliged to guarantee the right of human rights
defenders to carry out their activities without any restrictions or fear of
reprisals."
Amnesty
International is concerned that her trial was not carried out in accordance with
fair trial standards.
|
Advertisements 
[][]
[]
[]
|
The judge
apparently did not give witnesses for the prosecution and defence adequate
time to respond to questions and reportedly prompted them from their initial
signed statements to the police.
He also
reportedly interrupted Umida Niazova repeatedly while she questioned
witnesses. The access to the trial was restricted.
The 32-year
old Umida Niazova was detained on 22 January in Andizhan, in the south-east
of the country, near the border with Kyrgyzstan, where she spent the first
four days of her detention unable to communicate with the outside
world.
On 26 January
she was moved to the capital Tashkent. She was charged with illegally
crossing the Uzbekistani border under Article 223 of the Uzbekistani
Criminal Code and with smuggling literature of a subversive and
"extremist" nature into the country under Article 246.
The main
charge against Umida Niazova -- smuggling -- relates to an earlier incident
on 21 December 2006 when she was detained for nine hours by transport police
as she cleared customs at Tashkent airport.
She had just
returned from a human rights seminar in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Although she
was released after questioning, police confiscated her laptop computer,
flashcard and passport.
Among the
materials contained on the laptop was reportedly the published report on the
Andizhan mass killings in May 2005 by the international non-governmental
organization (NGO) Human Rights Watch (HRW).
Umida Niazova
has been working for HRW’s office in Tashkent as a translator. She had
previously worked for the international freedom of expression NGOs,
Internews and Freedom House.
"By
imprisoning Umida Niazova, the authorities of Uzbekistan are trying to
intimidate her and other human rights activists. This is also another step
in stifling freedom of expression and civil society," Halya Gowan said.
Umida Niazova
can appeal her sentence in the next 10 days.
~~~~~
MaximsNews.com, An Independent Voice from the
U.N., provides commentary and analysis from
leading world figures: King Abdullah II
(Jordan), HRH Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al-Hussein
(Jordan), Sir Brian Urquhart, Dr. Hans Blix, Amb.
Richard Holbrooke, Anwar Ibrahim, Bianca Jagger,
Dr. Nafis Sadik, Shashi Tharoor, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Noeleen Heyzer, Kerry
Kennedy, Ian Williams, Stephen Schlesinger, Sen.
Timothy E. Wirth, Marc Morial, Amb. Jayantha
Dhanapala (Sri Lanka), Amb. Pierre Schori
(Sweden), Amb. William H. Luers, Dr. Susan Roosevelt
Weld, Rory Kennedy, Mehri
Madarshahi, J. Michael Adams, Gloria Feldt,
Jeffrey Laurenti, Dr. Rodney D. Smith, Ashley
Bommer, Rory
O'Connor, Genevieve Stamper, Dr. Max Stamper and
others.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MaximsNews Network® LLC is a Global News Network reaching over 30,000 in the International Community. It is associated with MediaChannel.org and Globalvision News Network, global news and media information services with more than 350 news affiliates in 135 countries.
MaximsNews®LLC is in partnership with the United Nations Foundation and the Better World Fund.
Established in 1999.
The views expressed are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of MaximsNews®
LLC.
MaximsNews.com
U.N. ® LLC News for the United Nations and the International Community -
www.MaximsNews.com
| MaximsNews@MaximsNews.com |
Please
contact us about Republishing:
Syndication@MaximsNews.com ©Copyrights 1999 - 2007, MaximsNews® LLC. All rights
reserved.
|
