Uzbek court jails five for religious extremism
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 19 February 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Uzbek court jails five for religious extremism, 19 February 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/570cdf3211.html [accessed 2 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
February 19, 2016
By RFE/RL's Uzbek Service
JIZZAX, Uzbekistan – A court in Uzbekistan's eastern region of Jizzax has sentenced five men to prison terms of between 5 1/2 and 12 years on religious extremism, separatism, and sabotage charges.
One of the men sentenced on February 19, Aramais Avakian, a 33-year-old ethnic Armenian and a Christian by faith, was sentenced to seven years, his wife, Shirin Tursunova, told RFE/RL.
Avakian was the only defendant who pleaded not guilty. He was arrested in September.
Avakian's relatives say that local authorities in the Paxtakor district trumped up the charges against Avakian in order to take over his successful fish farm.
Armenian officials said earlier that they had officially expressed concern over the case and asked Uzbek authorities to properly investigate it.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
