DUSHANBE, June 17, Asia-Plus – The European Court of Human Rights has sent a letter to the Russian Government, asking to answer a number of questions concerning details of detention and extradition of the leader of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan (DPT) Mahmadruzi Iskandarov to Tajikistan, Ms. Anna Staviskaya, Iskandarov’s Russian lawyer, said in an interview with Asia-Plus Tuesday afternoon.
According to her, the European Court of Human Rights has also determined terms for answering its question – before September 24, 2008. “It is called the stage of communication, I think it has good prospects,” said the lawyer. “I hope the Russian side will give answers.”
We will recall that the Supreme Court sentenced the DPT leader Mahmadruzi Iskandarov to 23 years in prison on October 5, 2005. The sentence followed his conviction on charges of terrorism, the embezzlement of state funds, and the illegal storage of weapons.
The court also imposed a 1.5 million-somoni fine and stripped Iskandarov of all previous state honors and awards, including revoking his rank of Major-General.
Mahmadruzi Iskandarov was brought to Dushanbe in April 2005. Just how Iskandarov came to be in Tajikistan in April 2205 remains unclear.
Iskandarov was arrested by the Russian law enforcement authorities in December 2004 on charges of committing terrorist acts and illegal possession of weapons. Those charges were filed by the Tajik prosecutor’s office and Russian authorities acted on the Tajik government’s warrant in detaining him. But next, the Russian authorities refused to extradite Iskandarov to Tajikistan. Instead, they freed him on April 3, 2005. And then, a little over a week later, Iskandarov disappeared. Until April 26, 2005 no one seemed to know where he was. But then, Tajik Prosecutor-General Bobojon Bobokhonov told a press conference in Dushanbe that Iskandarov was officially placed under arrest on April 22, 2005.
In the meantime, Iskandarov’s friends and relatives say that Iskandarov, who was living in self-exile near Moscow, was abducted and forcibly brought back to Dushanbe to be tried.
Specialists also note there seems to be some breeches of due process surrounding Iskandarov’s detention and extradition.
In April 2005, Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service quoted Tajik lawyer Abduqayum Yusufov as saying, “The way they arrested him, according to existing norms (of the law) could be considered kidnapping, because no one identified themselves officially (as a law enforcement agent) and they did not produce any documents explaining why he should be arrested.”
