Uzbek film director convicted for ’slanderous’ documentary on wedding rituals

Uzbek filmmaker convicted for slander

MOSCOW — An Uzbek film director says she has been convicted of slander for making a documentary on wedding rituals in the authoritarian ex-Soviet state.

Umida Akhmedova said Wednesday that the court in the capital, Tashkent, found her guilty of slander and “offense through mass media” but released her on amnesty. Uzbek officials could not be reached for comment.

Akhmedova’s film, “The Burden of Virginity,” describes hardships young women face in the mostly Muslim nation during and after the traditional nuptial ceremonies.

The film has never been shown in Uzbekistan.

Akhmedova’s trial followed a campaign in Uzbek media lambasting the director’s films and photographs.

President Islam Karimov’s government censors media and the Internet and silences critics.