QURGHON TEPPA, September 26, 2012, Asia-Plus -- The Khatlon regional court has rejected an appeal lodged by two residents of Khatlon province who have been jailed for drug trafficking.

The Khatlon regional court considered the appeal by Mr. Tillokhouja Muslimov from the Qumsangir district and Ms. Sanovbar Gulova from the Bokhtar district on September 25.

We will recall that a court in the city of Qurghon Teppa sentenced Tillokhouja Muslimov and Sanovbar Gulova to nine years in prison each on August 24.  The sentence followed their conviction on charges of drug trafficking.

A prosecutor in the trial of Muslimov and Gulova asked the Qurghon Teppa city court to sentence Muslimov to 10 years in prison and Gulova to 11 years in prison.

The Khatlon regional court upheld the Qurghon Teppa court’s verdict against Muslimov and Gulova.

Ghulom Boboyev, a lawyer representing Tillokhouja Muslimov, denounced the ruling and vowed to appeal against it.  According to him, his client’s guilty was not proved.  The lawyer says investigation failed to produce proofs to support charges brought against his client.

Boboyev insists on additional investigation.  According to him, Muslimov was tortured to force him to confess.  “Two forensic medical examinations confirm this,” the lawyer noted.

Gulova’s lawyer, Khurshed Safarov, also considers that the verdict against his client is unfair and he is also going to appeal against the ruling.