Human Rights Watch demands release of Uzbek activist jailed on "trumped-up charges"

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — A prominent international advocacy group has appealed to authorities in Uzbekistan to reverse a 13-year jail sentence handed to a rights activist on what it says are trumped-up charges.

Human Rights Watch said in a statement Saturday that the evidence against Gaibullo Jalilov lacked credibility.

Jalilov has been serving nine-year sentence for alleged religious extremism since earlier this year. HRW says that term was extended by four years last week in a closed trial on charges of anti-constitutional activity.

Human rights activists are routinely targeted for harassment by Uzbek authorities.

Western countries have attempted to boost relations with the diplomatically isolated Central Asian nation over the past year, but rights standards and democratic freedoms remain dismal.

(2010-08-14/The Canadian Press)