E/CN.4/2003/68/Add.2 page 50 nothing criminal in the officers’ actions and that the latter were justified in the context of the international efforts against terrorism. During the trial, Rasul Haitov was said to have been extremely weak, hardly able to walk or sit and nearly lying on the bench in the courtroom. He was reportedly never granted any medical help by the authorities after he had been discharged from hospital in the middle of November 2001. He is said to be seriously traumatized and suffering from constant headaches. His internal injuries, sustained through the treatment he was allegedly subjected to while in custody, reportedly still cause him a lot of pain as of the time of writing. On 21 January 2002, the procurator reportedly called for two of the involved police officers to be found guilty of murder. However, on 30 January 2002, two police majors, a captain and a lieutenant, all assigned to the Tashkent’s Sabir Rakhimov District Department of Internal Affairs were sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment each by Tashkent City Court for “premeditated infliction of bodily harm that caused death” (pursuant to article 104 of the Criminal Code). Fears have been expressed that the conviction on a lesser charge could enable them to qualify for release under the presidential amnesty declared on 8 December 2002. The police officers are said to be serving their sentences in the prison colony in the town of Bekabad. On the day of the announcement of the hearing, relatives of the convicted officers reportedly threatened the family that they would take revenge. Kamiljan Sadikhov was reportedly selling mineral water in the centre of Margilan at the beginning of October 2001, when he was approached by a man asking him whether he would like to meet to pray and study Islam in a teahouse. The next day, he reportedly met the man with three other unknown men in the teahouse, where they prayed. The following day, the same man came to his workplace and asked whether he could leave a bag with him, which he would pick up two hours later. He is said not to have turned up, and Kamiljan Sadikhov reportedly discovered 15 leaflets and 4 or 5 books of banned literature. He reportedly burnt the leaflets and hid the books behind the central heater in his flat. The same evening, he reportedly went to a wedding where SNB officers asked for him and then took him to the SNB office of Margilan at around 11 p.m. His father was said to have been told about the arrest by some of the guests. When he went there with his wife an hour later, he was reportedly told that his son had been sent to the MVD office in Margilan. There, he was allegedly told that since his son had been arrested by the SNB, he should be kept there. His parents went back to the SNB office where they were reportedly told that their son would be kept for another day and that they should go home. His parents reportedly found out that the man who had left his books with their son, had given their son’s name to SNB officers. The next morning, his parents are said to have returned to the SNB office. When they arrived there, the gates were reportedly wide open, and their son was placed into a car and driven away. They were told that their son was being driven to Fergana. When they asked about their son’s guilt, they were told that they would find out in Fergana. When they asked to see their son at the Fergana SNB office, they were reportedly told that they would need a lawyer, and were given the name of a State lawyer, who requested 10,000 sum for each attempted visit. Two or three days later, they were able to see their son. During the investigation, which continued for one and a half months, the investigator had reportedly brought Kamiljan Sadikhov to Margilan city and ordered him to show how he had distributed leaflets whilst SNB personnel took photos. After his arrest, Kamiljan Sadikhov was reportedly severely beaten in order to force him to sign a confession. He was said to have been kicked in the ribs and stomach with police boots, and had a plastic bag placed over his head. A mask was reportedly also placed over his head, so that he could not identify who was beating him.