Amnesty calls for fair and impartial trial

Amnesty International has called on the Uzbek government to conduct a fair trial following the resumption of a court case against three men charged with religious extremism and anti-state crimes in the capital, Tashkent. "We call upon the Uzbek government to guarantee a fair and impartial trial in this particularly important case," Anna Sunder-Plassman, a Central Asia researcher for Amnesty told IRIN from London on Thursday. Additionally she called for a prompt and impartial investigation into allegations of torture made by the defendants and some of the witnesses, as well as the procurator not to issue the death penalty. "This case exemplifies a pattern of human rights violations in Uzbekistan. At the same time, it is one of the most serious cases because it may involve a death verdict," she explained. Her comments follow the resumption of the trial of Iskandar Khudoberganov (28), Bekzod Kasymbekov (27) and Nosirkhon Khakimov (28) as well as three others on Tuesday, which was suspended at the end of September, with the judge expected to give his verdict in the coming days. The men were accused of religious extremism and charged with serious anti-state crimes, including attempting to overthrow the constitutional order and setting up an illegal group. However, according to Amnesty, Iskandar Khudoberganov is at grave risk of being sentenced to death, while at least three defendants were reportedly tortured to force them to confess or incriminate other defendants. The international watchdog is concerned that the trial of the men does not conform to international standards of fair trials, citing the fact that Khudoberganov's lawyers' have been denied access to him since the trial was put on hold on 26 September. Amnesty first issued an urgent action on this case on 4 November, raising concern over allegations of an unfair trial and torture, but according to Sunder-Plassman no response from the authorities has ever been given. "Sadly such cases are not unusual in Uzbekistan, but this case is particularly indicative of the problems inherent within the Uzbek justice system," she claimed. On 30 October, Khudoberganov's sister told Amnesty: "You can hardly see the difference between the procurator and the judge. The judge makes accusations and he shouts at the defendants. Once he announced the next hearing would be at 2 o'clock the next day, but then they already started in the morning. So no lawyers, independent observers or family members of the accused were there." One of the two lay assessors hearing the case reportedly told Khudoberganov's lawyer: "Your efforts are useless. It's clear he is guilty and he'll surely be sentenced to death." Amnesty believes that the death penalty is a violation of the most fundamental right - the right to life. Moreover, in the circumstances of an unfair trial, handing down a death sentence would be the most irresponsible step to take, Sunder-Plassman said.