A leading international human rights watchdog said Wednesday that the recent jailing of an Uzbek journalist for writing about alleged government corruption appeared to be part of a renewed crackdown on dissent in this Central Asian nation.
New York-based Human Rights Watch urged Ergash Bobozhonov's immediate release and said it was highly concerned about his health. The group said Bobozhonov, 61, was reported to be suffering from constant convulsions and having difficulty speaking since his Feb. 17 arrest.
Bobozhonov was arrested in his home in the eastern Fergana region and charged with libel, a murder threat and disclosure of secrets. Authorities said the libel charge was linked to articles he wrote for a newspaper in neighboring Kyrgyzstan in 1999 and 2001 alleging corruption of local officials. The murder threat was tied to a 1994 incident in which Bobozhonov allegedly threatened to run someone over with a car.
Bobozhonov is also an active member of the opposition Birlik movement.
Also last week, Uzbek authorities detained a journalist working for an independent civil rights group, Oleg Sharapulov, for allegedly possessing banned religious literature, media advocate Ruslan Sharipov said in a statement Monday. Sharapulov, 19, was allegedly beaten, subjected to psychological pressure and threatened with charges of anti-constitutional activity during two days in police custody in the capital Tashkent.
He was later released. Police said Wednesday that no charges would be filed, but Sharipov said the case had not been formally closed and was being reviewed by prosecutors.
Also Wednesday, international media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders expressed concern over the Feb. 18 sentencing of journalist Gayrat Mehliboyev to seven years in jail for alleged religious extremism.
The Paris-based media group said Mehliboyev's conviction was connected with his independent views on religion and was "a device to crack down on the media and the regime opponents."
Uzbekistan has been under increased international scrutiny following its provision of an air base for U.S.-led anti-terrorist operations in neighboring Afghanistan.