KHUJAND, July 14, 2011, Asia-Plus — The trial of 53 people suspected of belonging to the banned Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) thought to be behind last year’s suicide car-bomb attack began in Khujand on July 12.
Judge Daddojon Gadoyboyev, presiding over the trial, says they are mainly residents of Isfara, Istaravshan and Spitamen districts and the city of Khujand.
The trial for these 53 suspects is being held behind closed doors at pretrial detention facility # 2 in Khujand.
According to the judge, the suspects face charges of terrorism, organization of criminal group, the violent seizure of power or the violent retention of power, document forgery, illegally bearing, possessing, acquiring, and manufacturing weapons, preparation for crime or criminal attempt, murder, complicity in committing a crime, misuse of power, not reporting a crime to police or covering a crime, and illegal border crossing.
Gadoyboyev noted that 10-12 of those 53 suspects were standing the trial as accomplices to the last year’s suicide car bombing, while the others were standing the trial for membership in the banned Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.
We will recall that on September 3, 2010, Akmal Karimov drove a car packed with explosives into the main gate of the Sughd regional organized crime control division in Khujand, killing himself and three others and injuring 28 people. The vehicle was driven at high speed into the gated compound of the organized crime control division — as the gate was closing after two police cars entered the complex — and the car exploded. It was the first-ever such suicide bombing reported in Tajikistan.
Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reported on July 2 that Karimov”s brother, Firdavs Karimov, is one of the 53 suspected IMU members who are accused of planning and participating in the attack. According to RFE/RL, forty of the suspects are residents of the town of Istaravshan. One of them is under 18, according to the 20 lawyers who are defending the group.
Suicide bomber Akmal Karimov was born in Istaravshan but lived in Khujand. Officials say Karimov was charged with kidnapping in 2009 but left the country and underwent training at terrorist camps in Afghanistan.
Nekrouz Hamzaaliyev, a lawyer for suspects Shuhrat Ghafurov and Murodjon Quzibekov, told RFE/RL on July 12 that during the pretrial investigation all the suspects confessed their guilt but some may retract their confessions in court.
