Thursday, February 11, 2010

An Uzbek Crime Story the NY Times Missed Today


From Ferghana.ru, a report that the alleged murderers of world-renowned theatrical impressario Mark Weil (whose family lives in Seattle, Washington), are finally facing trial:
At the same time with the first hearings of absurd charges against the photographer and documentary producer Umida Akhmedova, the Mirabad interdistrict criminal court in Tashkent held the first session on the murder of Mark Weil, the prominent stage and artistic director of Ilhom Theater.

Ferghana.Ru reported earlier that in November of 2009 three crime suspects were arrested in Uzbekistan; the murder took place in the night of September 6-7, 2007.

The judicial process is not open to public. Some unofficial sources note that four people were accused of murder: Yakub Gafurov (the citizen of Tajikistan), Satarov (allegedly, the grandson of General Satarov, the former Chief of Tashkent police department), Iskhakov (the native of Uzbekistan; Russian citizen, currently wanted by police) and Pulatov.

Scarce information sources, available at Ferghana.Ru office, indicate that the suspects may be sentenced to 20 years of jail. Perhaps, the accusation statements will be announced at the next judicial sitting on Monday, February 15.