DUSHANBE, January 27, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- Anvar Taghoymurodov, the chief of the Interior Ministry body empowered to combat organized crime, has filed the defamation lawsuit in a court in Dushanbe’s Firdavsi district against the Asia-Plus newspaper, asking for 1 million somoni as compensation for moral damage caused by article published by the newspaper.

The Interior Ministry high-ranking official who filed the lawsuit as private citizen claims that the article entitled “Investigation or Inquisition?” printed in the newspaper in December defames his honor and reputation.

The article was about use of torture by officers from the Interior Ministry Division for Combating Organized Crime (UBOP) and its office in Sughd province during interrogations to extort confessions.

Taghoymurodov considers that “correspondent went to pieces and showed rashness regarding authoritative body – Interior Ministry and UBOP, relying on words from interested persons.”

He even suggested that Ramziya Mirzobekova and other reporters that covered the suicide car bombing in Khujand (September 2010) “knew persons that committed that terrorist act, were aware of their sinister intentions, and probably had ties to them.”

The full text of the lawsuit filed by Taghoymurodov and all documents collected by the Asia-Plus reporter during the work on the article “Investigation or Requisition?” are posted on the Asia-Plus site.