DUSHANBE, April 4, 2014, Asia-Plus -- Three women in Uzbekistan have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for spying for Tajikistan, Radio liberty reported on April 3.

Uzbek media reports say that the three female residents of the southern Surkhandaryo province have been found guilty of using their mobile devices to take pictures of military and other objects in the region''s Uzun and Sariasi districts and later passing the materials along with reports about Uzbek military personnel to the Tajik secret services for financial compensation.

Kimyo Khudoyarova, who is a stateless local resident but originally from Tajikistan, received 15 years in jail, while two other women, both Uzbek citizens, Gulnara Amonova and Rano Khursandova, were sentenced to 14 years in jail.

All three reportedly confessed in the courtroom.  The exact date of the trial has not been reported.