ONE MORE GROUP OF ISLAMISTS SENTENCED IN TASHKENT FOR “TERRORISM.”

The Supreme Court of Uzbekistan yesterday sentenced one defendant to death and seven others to prison terms ranging from three to ten years on charges of terrorism, possession of arms, drug dealing, attempting to overthrow the constitutional order, and complicity with Islamic militants in Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The trial in Tashkent is said to complete the series of trials stemming from the December 1997 unrest in the city of Namangan. The five trials–three held in Namangan and two in Tashkent–targeted Islamic fundamentalism, described as “Wahhabism” by the authorities. (International agencies, July 6) Twenty-seven Islamic “extremists” were sentenced to prison in the five public trials. (See the Monitor, May 19 and 28 and June 8) — VS

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