One of police officers convicted of torture has disappeared after sentencing. Nobody knows his whereabouts.
Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service, locally known as Radio Ozodi, says Ikromiddin Ahliddin was sentenced in his absence. He was reportedly at liberty on his own recognizance and did not appear in the courtroom when the verdict was delivered. The police are after him.
Recall, a court in Dushanbe sentenced Farhod Noukhonov, the deputy chief of the Dushanbe City Police's criminal department, to 17 years in prison on December 16. Three his subordinates – Avaz Sabzayev, Ikromiddin Ahliddin and Umed Vahhobov — received between 7 and 9 years in prison.
Sabzayev and Ahliddin were sentenced to nine years in prison each and Vahhobov get a jail term of seven years.
All four were found guilty earlier of torturing a man who was being held on allegations of illegal drug possession. They also faced charges of abuse of power.
The four had denied the charges. Vahhobov pleaded guilty to accepting bribes, according to Radio Ozodi.
Tajik authorities launched an investigation after the alleged victim in the case, Hamza Solehov, gave an interview to RFE/RL's Tajik Service, in which he said he was tortured while held in custody in January on suspicion of involvement in the case.
After the report, another 17 people came forward to say they had also been tortured by police as well.
Tajikistan has been criticized by human rights groups for allowing police agencies to torture detainees, in many cases to extract confessions from them.
According the Prosecutor-General’s Office, Ikromiddin Ahliddin was sentenced in his absence. He was reportedly at liberty on his own recognizance and did not appear in the courtroom when the verdict was delivered. The police are after him.
Journalists have failed to contact the lawyer or relatives of the fugitive policeman.
