KULOB/DUSHANBE, August 23, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- The escape of a group of prisoners from Dushanbe’s pretrial detention facility has not impacted service of the Kulob city police department, the Kulob police department chief Abduvahhob Iskandarov told Asia-Plus Monday afternoon.

According to him, local police have been on alert since May 7 when the devastated flood affected the city and the security alert will be lifted in Kulob only after the full completion of construction of houses for the disaster-hit population.

“After receiving information about the armed escape of a group prisoners from the pretrial detention facility in Dushanbe, we have reinforced police posts at the entrance to the city and set up armed check posts on the roads to Muminobod and Shuroobod districts,” Iskandarov said, noting that he together with 60 local police officers is going to Farkhor district to assist Farkhor police that are making preparations for tomorrow’s visit of the head of state to the Kulob zone of Khatlon province.

The situation in the city is under full control, the Kulob police chief added.

We will recall that the source at one of power wielding facilities of the country said Abdurasoul Mirzoyev, the brother of one of top field commanders of the former pro-government Popular Front Ghaffor Mirzoyev, was among the escapees.

Lieutenant-General Ghaffor Mirzoyev, once the former commander of the 3,000-strong Presidential Guard and the former head of the Drug Control Agency, was jailed for life in August 2006 on charges ranging from tax evasion, corruption, abuse of power, plotting a coup and the murder of a police officer in 1998.

Abdurasoul Mirzoyev was sentenced to 30 years in prison on July 20 this year.  The sentence followed his conviction on the charges of terrorism, illegal possession of weapons and coup attempt.

In the meantime, Ms. Oishamo Mirzoyeva, the sister of Ghaffor and Abdurasoul, does not believe that Abdurasoul escaped from the prison.  She told Asia-Plus Monday afternoon that if Abdurasoul had wanted, he might have done that before the arrest.  “He is not the sort of man,” said Oishamo Mirzoyeva, “Both Ghaffor and Abdurasoul still believe that they will be released under the law.”