DUSHANBE, August 26, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- The prosecutor-general’s office has instituted criminal proceedings over the August 23 detention center break.

Jamshed Sangov, the chief of the special investigation department within the prosecutor-general’s office, told Asia-Plus today the criminal proceedings have been instituted under the provisions of several articles of Tajikistan’s  Penal Code, including Article 104 (murder), Article 195 (illegally bearing, possessing, and acquiring weapons), Article 365 (prison break), and Article 252 (car theft), etc.

An investigation is under way, he said, noting that the issue of instituting criminal proceedings against the pretrial detention facility officials is still under consideration.

Meanwhile, the country’s law enforcement agencies that have been put on alert are continuing the operation to detect and detain the escaped convicts.  All law enforcement and power-wielding structures of the country are involved in the operation, which headed by the Minister of Interiors Abdurahim Qahhorov.

We will recall that 25 convicts serving long jail terms escaped from the pretrial detention facility of the state committee for national security (GKNB) in Dushanbe in the early hours of Monday (August 23) morning, killing five prison guards.  Dressing in camouflage, the escapees reportedly fled toward the Rasht Valley in eastern Tajikistan.  The majority of the fugitives were among 46 people convicted by the Supreme Court last week of terrorism, drug trafficking, and seeking the forcible overthrow of the government.  The GKNB first deputy chairman Qosim Ghafarov told reporters that the prisoners took advantage of the negligence of the jail warden.

On Monday, the team in pursuit combed the part of eastern Tajikistan, including Romit Gorge, some 45 kilometers northeast of the Tajik capital.  Four cars abandoned by the escaped prisoners were found: one of them was found on the Dushanbe-Vahdat highway; another one was found in Romit Gorge; and two cars were found in Fayzobod district.  The law enforcement officials say that it cannot be ruled out that the fugitives had accomplices, who were waiting for them outside the pretrial detention center.

Tajik law enforcement authorities have sent a request to their colleagues in Russia and Afghanistan, asking for help in finding and detaining the escapees.