Muslim defendants from Parkent and human rights defender Rustamov.Photo by Elena Urlaeva.
Elena Urlaeva of the Human Rights Alliance writes this week of women put on trial for their religious teaching in Uzbekistan.
On February 13 at 11:00 am in Tashkent Regional Court, the appeals trial took place for a criminal case involving four Muslim women: N. Ashirmatova, M. Rahimhujaeva, Mirzukurova, and M. Holmatova.
Judge M. Mirzayev of Yukorichirchik district had tried the case against the women, which human rights defenders believe to be fabricated, on charges of "violating the procedure for teaching religious beliefs" (Art. 241).
Urlaeva and Shuhrat Rustamov, another member of the Human Rights Alliance were able to observe the hearing, presided over by Judge Malikov, who conducted the trial without benefit of the participation of the judicial assessors, prosecutor and state attorney for the defendants. That's common in Uzbekistan -- as Human Rights Watch's latest report on Uzbekistan relates, lawyers often can't even find their defendants in the unjust justice system, or don't get proper notifications of hearings. That the ersatz jury (the assessors) and even the prosecutor didn't show up seems particularly egregious, but they figure it's a done deal already.
Writes Urlaevya: "Twice during the proceedings, Judge Malikov spoke on his mobile phone, ignoring a statement from Nasiba Ashirmatova that Judge Murzayeva had not provided the decision of the court, and only after a picket, 20 days after the verdict, he had been forced to supply a copy."
Judge Malikov also did not invite to the trial an expert on the lawful definition of prohibition on religious literature which had been confiscated during a police search.
I wonder what this "teaching" involved. They may have only met in their homes or existing legal mosques.
Judge Malikov ruled to leave Judge Mirzayeva's decision in force, and now the Muslim women are facing a fine of 5 minimum wages which will be supervised by the mahalla (neighbourhood leader) and police. I don't know whether that means $150 or something like that, but it's a terrible penalty in a country where minimum wages are low.
The Human Rights Alliance said they intend to keep defending the Muslim believers, who are from the city of Parkent in Tashkent region.
Urlaeva also includes in her dispatch a photo of the ripped seating and cracked floor of the courtroom, which sort of says it all about the state of Uzbek justice...
