Start of popular radio journalist’s trial on charge of belonging to banned Islamic group

The trial of Khayrullo Khamidov, a popular radio host, poet and sports commentator, on a charge of belonging to a banned Muslim organisation began today behind closed doors in Gulbakhor, near the capital, Tashkent. Fourteen other people are being tried with him on the same charge. The police manned checkpoints on the road from Tashkent to Gulbakhor today, while a police cordon prevented access to the courthouse where Khamidov, who has been detained ever since his arrest on 21 January, is facing the possibility of being sentenced to spend five years in prisons known for their appalling conditions. “We reiterate the call we made last January for Khamidov to be released and all the charges against him to be dropped,” Reporters Without Borders said. “Under the guise of combating religious extremism, Uzbekistan is in fact pursuing a policy of general repression of its population.” The US Commission on International Religious Freedom regards Uzbekistan as one of the 13 most worrying countries as regards suppression of freedom of worship. Aged 35, Khamidov hosted a programme called “Kholislik Sari” (Voice of Impartiality) on the partially privately-owned radio station Nawruz in which he discussed everyday problems and offered listeners advice based on the teachings of Islam. He never called for violence or insurrection and never took any position that suggested he should be treated as criminal. His main crime, in the eyes of the authorities, was to talk about the economic, political and social problems that ordinary Uzbek citizens encounter, the kind of problems that the government likes to sweep under the carpet. In this respect, his case resembles that of photographer and documentary filmmaker Umida Akhmedova who – before being pardoned – was convicted of slandering and “insulting the Uzbek people” for her photos of poverty and the problems suffered by women. Khamidov was arrested after attending a traditional religious ceremony (for the birth of a child) at the home of a relative. Along with the other defendants, he had also participated in a debate about Salafi Islam. In a raid on his home, police seized documents, CDs, DVDs and religious works including a copy of the Koran. This is not his first run-in with the authorities. Under pressure from the press and information ministry, he was forced to stand down as the host of a similar TV programme and then to shut down his newspaper Odamlar Orasida, which – with a print run of 24,000 copies – was one of the country’s most popular publications. At the time of arrest, he was also deputy editor of Champion, a sports newspaper focused mainly on soccer. Uzbekistan has one of Central Asia’s most repressive regimes and more than 10 journalists are currently detained. According to several reports, prisoners are systematically tortured. Unfortunately the international community makes little effort to defend the rights of Uzbek citizens. In October 2008, the European Union lifted the sanctions imposed after a bloody crackdown on an uprising in the eastern city of Andijan.