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Uzbek Imam Dies in Jail Amid Allegations of Torture


Jailed Muslim cleric, Shavkat Madumarov, 27, has died in custody in Uzbekistan. His father says he was tortured and injected with a lethal disease.

Uzbek police and prison authorities have not reacted to the allegations.

The family says the imam died in a detention center in Tashkent on September 14, three days after a court sentenced him to seven years in jail for extremism and anti-constitutional activities. The family insists he was in good health before his arrest.

During the trial the imam told the court that he was given injections of unspecified medicines in the jail. His father says he is certain he was injected with the HIV virus.

Human rights groups have persistently accused Uzbek authorities of torture in prisons. Uzbek officials say they are working to eliminate the practice.

Some information for this story provided by AP and Reuters.

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