Abdulmalik Boboyev, one of Uzbekistan’s few remaining independent reporters, was fined 10,000 dollars by a Tashkent court Friday on charges of defamation, insult and threatening public order. Boboyev, who pleaded not guilty, had been facing a possible five-year jail sentence, according to Paris-based press freedom group Reporters sans Frontières (RSF).
A journalist who is renowned for the quality of his reporting and his determination to maintain his independence, Boboyev had done nothing wrong. But any normal journalistic activity is seen as a threat by the Uzbek authorities.
RSF reiterated its support for the small group of Uzbek journalists who have continued for years to try to keep the population informed despite the difficulties and dangers.
