Uzbek Islamic activists are being oppressed, says former imam

A prominent Islamic figure in Uzbekistan, Obidkhon Nazarov, has accused the authorities of using the recent killings of several policemen in the city of Namangan to oppress the country's Islamic lobby.

Mr Nazarov - a former imam of a Tashkent mosque -- said his supporters had not been involved in the killings; and the government used the incidents as an excuse to oppress Islamic activists.

He said his brother was arrested last month following the killings and is being accused of keeping drugs.

The Uzbek government has repeatedly blamed Islamic extremists for the killings of at least four policemen last month.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service