A court in Uzbekistan has sentenced a leading Islamic activist to twenty years in prison.

Hafizullo Nosir was found guilty of belonging to the banned religious organisation, Hezb-e Tahrir.

Eleven other defendants were sentenced to between seven and eighteen years in jail.

The authorities in Uzbekistan have taken tough security measures against unofficial Islamic groups since sixteen people were killed in bomb attacks in the capital, Tashkent, last year.

The authorities blamed Islamic extremists for carrying out the attacks.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service