A district court in Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent yesterday found a prominent photographer and film maker guilty of slandering and insulting the Uzbek people. However, the judge decided to grant Umida Akhmedova amnesty in honour of the 18th anniversary of Uzbek independence, her lawyer said. Akhmedova could have faced up to three years in prison. She was charged for making the documentary “The Burden of Virginity” and publishing a book of photographs – “Woman and Man: From Dawn till Night” – which portrayed daily life in Uzbekistan. Her trial had been criticised by several international rights groups. Amnesty International condemned her conviction “simply for exercising her right to freedom of expression” and called for it to be invalidated.