QURGHON TEPPA, June 22, 2013, Asia-Plus — The parents of Payrav Usmonov, who disappeared three years ago, believe that their son was abducted and sold to the illegal armed group of mutinous Colonel Mahmoud Khudoiberdiyev.
They are sure that their son was abducted as a good specialist in computers and pharmaceutics.
Payrav’s parents have applied to the Prosecutor-General’s Office with solicitation to institute criminal proceedings over disappearance of their son and question witnesses again.
According to Payrav’s father, Rustam Usmonov, 31, disappeared after he went with his three friends to take swim in the Qaratogh River on May 19, 2013.
His friends said that Payrav had been drowned, but his parents do not believe that.
Rustam Usmonov says he hired divers from Norak to examine the Qaratogh River “The divers examined the river up to Uzbekistan’s border, but they did not found his body,” said Rustam Usmonov “I also met with local residents and they said that it is impossible to drown in that section of the river.”
“We suppose that our son, who was a good specialist in computers and pharmaceutics, was abducted and sold to the armed group of Colonel Mahmud Khudoiberdiyev,” Payrav’s mother, Guldasta Loiqova, said.
Colonel Mahmoud Khudoiberdiev made two failed coup attempts in 1997 and 1998. After the failed coup attempt made in August 1997, Khudoiberdiyev and his supporters reportedly retreated south via Shahritous and Beshkent into southern Uzbekistan. According to some sources, after leaving Tajikistan, the mutinous colonel and his militant followers moved through Uzbekistan into Afghanistan in November 1997. Khudoiberdiyev reportedly returned to Uzbekistan in June 1998. On November 4 1998, Khudoiberdiev’s armed group invaded Sughd province from Uzbekistan. A few days later the government regained control of the province. Some 100 people were reportedly killed in the Sughd clashes. Tajik Prosecutor-General’s Office instituted criminal proceedings against Khudoiberdiyev under the provisions of two articles of Tajikistan’s Penal Code (high treason and coup attempt) and has repeatedly requested Uzbek authorities to extradite Khudoiberdiyev to Tajikistan.
