Sources close to Uzbek law enforcement told RFE/RL that noted ethnic Tajik journalist, Salim Inomzoda, was arrested on July 13 over a song he placed on social media. Inomzoda was charged with the distribution of "materials threatening public safety." Investigators say the song performed by Tajik singer Afzalshoh Shodiev about Uzbekistan's ancient cities of Samarkand and Bukhara, which have a significant Tajik diaspora, is of "a religious character, and contains elements of separatism." If convicted, Inomzoda, 58, faces up to eight years in prison. Civil rights activists in Uzbekistan said administrators of Inomzoda's Tajiks of Uzbekistan Facebook account were summoned for questioning. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Tajik Service, click here.
Ethnic Tajik Journalist Arrested In Uzbekistan Over Posting Song Online
Salim Inomzoda is an ethnic Tajik journalist in Uzbekistan who has been arrested over a song he posted on social networks.