Nosyr Zakirov, a correspondent for RFE/RL\'s Uzbek Service, was sentenced to a six-month prison term on 26 August for slandering a state official, Interfax reported, quoting the journalist\'s son, Zokhid Zakirov. Arena, a website detailing free-speech issues in Uzbekistan (www.freeuz.uz), quoted the younger Zakirov as saying: \"My father was put in jail for his professional activities. He did a radio program on the views of Haydarali Komilov on the events in Andijon, where [Komilov] in poetic form harshly criticized the policies of the country\'s leadership.\" Zakirov explained that his father later called State Security Service officer Dilmurod Isamukhamdov to express his anger that the latter pressured Komilov into retracting his earlier statements. The call led to the charges against Nosyr Zakirov. The correspondent\'s son said his father was taken to prison as soon as the verdict was announced on 26 August. Although Komilov later retracted his statements about Andijon, he still faces criminal charges in connection with the incident, Arena reported. (RFE/RL)