Reporters Without Borders welcomes release of Sabirjon Yakubov after a year in prison

Reporters Without Borders April 5 Reporters Without Borders welcomed the release of journalist Sabirjon Yakubov for lack of evidence after nearly a year in a secret police prison but strongly deplored his "lengthy preventive detention" and said the authorities, by freeing him yesterday, had "avoided making a serious legal error." Yakubov, 23, former correspondent for the independent paper Hurriyat (Freedom), was arrested in Tashkent on 11 April last year along with several other people and was charged with "undermining constitutional order" and "being involved with an extremist religious organisation" under article 159 of the criminal code. He faced between three and 20 years in prison. He did not know exactly why he was being held. His editor, Ismat Hudoyarov, confirmed to Reporters Without Borders he had been released and other sources said he had left the capital for his parents' home in the Ferghana region. Yakubov was regarded by colleagues as very moderate and an expert in Islamic philosophy. They said they did not know why he had been charged, but said the authorities seemed to be suspicious about his articles praising Islam, including a series called "Journey to the country of dreams," written after he made a pilgrimage to Mecca in 2005. The worldwide press freedom organisation noted that a crackdown on the opposition, independent journalists and foreign media was continuing in Uzbekistan. Foreign journalists are accused of trying to discredit the country and "meddling in internal affairs" and are constantly threatened by the authorities. Two other journalists are still in prison - Yusuf Ruzimuradov and Mohammed Bekjanov, both of the opposition paper Erk - who were arrested on 18 August 1999 and sentenced to eight years in prison, reportedly without being allowed to defend themselves in court. Human Rights Watch says Ruzimuradov was tortured in prison. Both were convicted of "trying to overthrow the government by force." Reporters Without Borders calls for their immediate release. P.S. UzLand has been campaigning a petition in support of Sobirjon Yakubov since April of 2005. UzLand thanks everyone who signed under the petition. As of April 2006 the petition collected 804 signatures.