…an rights activist Ganijon Mamathanov.

Uznews.net – Two days were enough for Fergana Region’s Ohunbabayev District court to sentence human rights activist Ganijon Mamathanov to five years in prison on 24 November.

Mamathanov was found guilty of extorting money and demanding a bribe, even though a victim of the activist’s deeds had not turned up at the trial.

Another Fergana-based activist Abdusalom Ergashev said that the speed of the trial had shocked even experienced lawyers.

The trial started on 16 November but was postponed because the prosecution’s main witnesses – farmers who alleged that the activist had extorted money from them – failed to show up in court.

On 23 November the trial continued with only one witness – farmer Tahir Suleymanov –who claimed that the activist had demanded 4.5m sums ($3,000) from him.

Suleymanov failed to confirm in court that the activist had not demanded any money, but told the judge in low voice that he had been forced to slander him.

The main witness was farmer Ruzimat Usmanov who claimed that the activist had demanded 6 million sums ($4,000) from him, but since he was absent at the first trial, it was postponed until 24 November.

Even though the main witness did not turn up, Mamathanov was jailed for five years.

Rumours have spread in Fergana that Usmanov is now in jail too, because he had refused to show up at the trial to slander the human rights activist.

Ergashev thinks that there is no sense to comment about the unjust ruling because there was not a single proof of Mamathanov’s guilt.

He thinks this jailing is the continuation of the Uzbek government’s policy to punish people who are trying to fight for the rule of law in the country and uncover cases of corruption.

International human rights organisations – the FIDH international federation of human rights and the OMCT world organisation against torture – expressed their concern over Mamathanov’s conviction. They think this is nothing but the silencing of dissident voices in the country.

These organisations urged the EU and the OSCE to get involved in Mamathanov’s case because Uzbekistan had again violated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.