DUSHANBE, August 9, 2016, Asia-Plus – A court in Dushanbe has sentenced 18 residents of the city of Roghun to prison terms of between 3½ and 10 years.  The sentence followed their conviction on charges of public calls for the forcible overthrow of or changes to the constitutional order in Tajikistan.

They were reportedly members of radical and extremist groups.

Fazliddin Gadoyev and Alisher Shamsiddinov got jail terms of 3½ years in prison each.

Afzalsho Akayev, Muhibullo Ghulomov, Mahfizulloh Ghulomov, Qurbon Ghulomov, Bahrullo Kenjayev, Amrulloh Kenjayev, Ismoil Kenjayev, Ibodulloh Murodov, Zuhriddin Odinayev, Bahriddin Sattorov, Sayburhon Kenjayev, and Abdumatin Shafiyev were sentenced to prison terms of between 5 and 5½ years.

Shuhrat Farhiddinov was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Besides, imams of local mosques Mubirakshoh Hasanov and Nazrikhouja Kholov were convicted. 

Recall that some media outlets reported in March that relatives of detained residents of Roghun gathered in front of the building of the Interior Ministry’s office in Dushanbe’s Firdavsi district on March 9 asking to clarify the reason for detention of their relatives.

The Interior Ministry of Tajikistan has denied this report.  In a statement released on March 10, the Interior Ministry noted that the report about gathering of relatives of a group of young men from the city of Roghun in front of the building of the Interior Ministry’s office in Dushanbe’s Firdavsi district “does not correspond to the facts.”  The statement further said that several residents of Roghun and some other locations had been detained for membership in extremist and radical groups and some others had been summoned to police as witnesses.  “None of the relatives of detainees and witnesses gathered in front of the Interior Ministry’s office in Dushanbe’s Firdavsi district, because it is prohibited by the country’s legislation and people know about that,” the statement said.