Tashkent, Uzbekistan - Two women have been convicted in Tashkent for membership in Hizb ut-Tahrir, a Muslim religious organization banned in Uzbekistan, anti-constitutional activities and dissemination of literature threatening public security, human rights activist Surat Ikramov said.
Khamida Tursunmatova, 30, received a seven-year term in a high security prison, and Saida Mamurova, 60, is to stay five and a half years in an ordinary jail.
Defense lawyer, who asked not to be identified, said the two women's guilt had not been proven, Ikramov told Interfax. They said they were pious but rejected the charges against them.
Tursunmatova was given a prison term of several years on a similar charge two years ago, but was amnestied soon thereafter.