During a closed court hearing on 5 August 2010, human rights defender Mr Gaybullo Jalilov had his prison sentence extended by four years.

Further Information

Gaybullo Jalilov was charged with promoting radical Islamic ideas whilst in prison, and was found guilty by Kashkadarya Regional Court of “attempting to overthrow Uzbekistan's constitutional system” under Article 159 of the Criminal Code.

On 18 January 2010, Gaybullo Jalilov was originally sentenced to nine years in prison after he was found guilty of "organisation of criminal association”, “production or dissemination of materials constituting a threat to public security and public order” and “founding, leading and participating in religious extremist, separatist, fundamentalist and other forbidden organisations”. He now faces a term of 13 years in prison.

Gaybullo Jalilov's lawyer has been reluctant to speak about the trial, fearing reprisal for providing information about the case. However, he stated that the new charges were based upon witness testimony that the human rights defender had participated in religious gatherings, during which particpants took part in religious studies and watched DVDs containing extremist content. Gaybullo Jalilov pleaded not guilty and was reportedly denied a request for prosecution witnesses to be questioned in court.

Gaybullo Jalilov is a member of the Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan, and was involved in protecting the rights of Muslims in Kashkadarya Region.

Please see the original Front Line Urgent Appeal on this case.