Key opposition leader on trial

A key opposition leader well known for his vocal criticism of the Uzbek government following an uprising in the east of the country went on trial on Monday, charged with economic crimes, a lawyer and relatives said. Sanjar Umarov, leader of the opposition ‘Sunshine Uzbekistan’ coalition, is charged with embezzlement, hiding foreign currency, tax avoidance, bribery and other crimes. He appeared in court in the capital, Tashkent, with three other defendants, his lawyer, Vitaliy Krasilovskiy, said. “The other three defendants are ordinary workers from fuelling stations - Umarov’s case has been implanted into their cases,” Krasilovski told IRIN. “Today’s proceedings examined biographical particulars of the defendants and the court is due to meet again on Friday,” he added. Umarov, a 49-year-old businessman with links to the oil and cotton sectors, was arrested in October 2005 following his return from the United States. The opposition say the charges against Umarov are fabricated and are designed to end his political career and silence his critic of President Islam Karimov. Umarov’s coalition Sunshine Uzbekistan became more prominent in the country following the crushing of an uprising in the eastern city of Andijan on 13 May. Before the bloody events in Andijan, where up to 1,000 civilians may have been killed by security forces, Umarov projected himself as a moderate, reform-minded alternative to Karimov's government and called for immediate free-market reforms. Another one of the coalition’s leaders - Nodira Hidoyatova - is also currently on trial for ‘economic crimes’. She was arrested in December following a trip to Moscow, where she gave a press conference and criticised Uzbek government policy. Authorities have clamped down on dissent since the Andijan killings. The government maintains just 187 people were killed in the uprising that Tashkent blames on Islamist insurgents. Courts have jailed at least 180 people for taking part in the Andijan rebellion but no police or troops have been charged for excessive use of force and Uzbekistan has rejected calls in the West for an independent investigation.