Court hearing in Mubashshir Ahmad case delayed for the third time in two weeks

The hearing, initially set for October 2, was adjourned until October 8, Obidov said. According to him, Judge Bobur Rahimov, who is overseeing the case, went on sick leave due to health problems. He is expected to return to work on October 8, when the trial is scheduled to resume. Obidov underlined that the delay was not linked to “political reasons.”

Mubashshir Ahmad’s defense lawyer, Abdulloh Sodiq, also confirmed to Kun.uz that Judge Rahimov was on medical leave. He noted that the issue of replacing the judge was not under discussion.

“If a judge were to be replaced after entering deliberations, the case would have to be reviewed from the beginning. This is because the judge must issue a verdict based on the evidence, the testimony of the defendant and witnesses, and what he himself heard during the trial,” the lawyer explained.

In fact, the hearing in Tursunov’s case has already been postponed three times within the past two weeks – a total of 16 days. Initially set for September 22, it was first rescheduled to September 29, then to October 2, and now to October 8. The first postponement was explained by the fact that Judge Rahimov was engaged in deliberations in another case, which took longer than expected. Soon after, the judge fell ill.

At the fourth hearing on September 18, Uchtepa district deputy prosecutor Erkin Narzullaev requested that Mubashshir Ahmad be found guilty under three articles of the Criminal Code. He specifically asked the court to sentence him to seven years in prison “by combining sanctions” and to impose a fine amounting to 150 times the base calculation unit (BCU).

The defense team, however, requested that two charges – “distribution of materials threatening public safety and public order” and “incitement of national, racial, ethnic or religious hatred” – be dropped. They partially acknowledged the charge of distributing religious materials without the approval of the Committee on Religious Affairs, but argued that the act had lost its social danger. The defense asked for this charge to be dismissed under Article 70 of the Criminal Code and for the seized equipment and materials to be returned.

At the hearing now postponed for the third time, Judge Rahimov was supposed to give the defendant the right to his final statement and then enter deliberations to issue a verdict.

The 51-year-old Alisher Tursunov was detained in Turkey on May 8 of this year and deported to Uzbekistan on May 10. He has been held in custody for nearly five months.

For reference, he faces charges under three articles of the Criminal Code:

• Article 244-3: illegal preparation, storage, import or distribution of religious materials;

• Article 244-1: preparation, storage, distribution or display of materials threatening public safety and public order;

• Article 156: incitement of national, racial, ethnic or religious hatred.

At the first hearing, the judge granted the prosecutor’s motion to prohibit audio, photo and video recording. However, the trial is open to the media and the public.

During the first three hearings, the indictment was read out, and both expert witnesses and the religious scholar himself testified.