OSCE media freedom representative concerned over journalist's sentence in Uzbekistan

VIENNA, 5 August 2009 - The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Miklos Haraszti, urged Uzbekistan's authorities today to review the case of Dilmurod Saidov (pen name Saiid), an independent journalist who was sentenced to 12-and-a-half years in prison on extortion and forgery charges in a closed trial.

"I am alarmed by this extremely harsh sentence against Dilmurod Saiid in a trial that did not meet international standards of fair procedure," said Haraszti in a letter to Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov. "I ask the relevant authorities to conduct a thorough review of Saiid's case, and ensure a fair and public trial on appeal with access to legal representation for the defendant."

The trial by the Toyloq district court in the Samarkand region was held on 30 July behind closed doors and without the journalist's lawyer being present. The witness who had originally testified against Saiid retracted her testimony, according to Saiid's lawyer, while Saiid has maintained his innocence.

The lawyer intends to appeal the verdict to the Samarkand regional court.

Saiid is an independent journalist who has written about corruption and abuse of power by local officials, and about social and economic problems in the Samarkand region. He worked as a correspondent for several private and state print media, including the newspaper Advokat-press. In 2005, he was fired from Advokat-press and all copies of an issue of the newspaper with an article by Saiid were confiscated. Since then, he has written for Internet-based media outlets and co-operated with human rights organizations.