DUSHANBE, June 26, Asia-Plus - On June 21, a Moscow regional court made a decision to overturn a lower court’s ruling that there was no need to question jailed leader of Tajikistan’s Democratic Party (DPT) also former head of Tajik state gas concern Mahmadruzi Iskandarov over the circumstance of his return to Tajikistan, the DPT deputy head Rahmatullo Valiyev said. 

Following this, Ms. Anna Stavitskaya, a Moscow lawyers for Mahmadruzi Iskandarov, has appealed to Russian judicial authorities to help bring her client back to Russia for questioning over his mysterious return from the Russian city of Korolyov , near Moscow , to Tajikistan .

As it had been reported earlier, the Supreme Court of Tajikistan sentenced Mahmadruzi Iskandarov to 23 years in jail on October 5, 2005 .  The sentence followed his conviction on charges of terrorism, the embezzlement of state funds, and the illegal possession of weapons. The court also imposed a more than 1.5 million Somonis (equivalent to more than US$470,000) fine on Mahmadruzi Iskandarov. 

We will recall that during the trial of his case Mr. Iskandarov demanded clarification of the issue of his extradition from the Russia city of Korolyov to Tajikistan .  Iskandarov claims that he was abducted and forcibly brought back to Tajikistan .