DUSHANBE, May 31, Asia-Plus  -- A court in Dushanbe’s Shohmansour district has sentenced to the minivan driver Qurbonali Ghiyosov, charged with negligent murder, to ten years in prison.  Ghiyosov’s negligence was the direct cause of death of nine persons.  

The Shohmansour court on May 30 ruled that Ghiyosov be given a jail term of years and that he should serve it in a minimum security penal colony.  Ghiyosov faced charges under two articles of Tajikistan’s Criminal Penal: Article 212, Part 3 (breaking traffic regulations that caused death of two or more persons) and Article 127 (leaving in danger). 

We will recall that nine persons, including three minors, were killed and eight others were injured on December 24, 2007 as fixed-route taxi (minivan) # 16 driven by Qurbonali Ghiyosov collided with a diesel locomotive in Dushanbe.  The accident took place at the gate crossing in Dushanbe’s Sino district.

A Justice Sadriddin Toshev, who took in the trial, told Asia-Plus that the court had also sentenced the Shohmansour traffic police chief Hasan Jabborov and the Sino transport inspectorate officer Salohiddin Saydamirov to one year in prison each for negligence.

 They are also barred from holding certain positions for two years, the justice said.  “Jabborov allowed Ghiyosov receiving license for driving passenger transport illegally, while Saydamirov who revealed that Ghiyosov’s license is illegal did not take appropriate measures,” Toshev said.