DUSHANBE, January 4, 2011, Asia-Plus — Safarmad Rustamov, the former head of the branch of Orienbonk in Muminobod district, has got a jail term of 8½ years.
The Supreme Court of Tajikistan on December 29 ruled that Safarmad Rustamov be given a jail term of 8½ years. The sentence followed his conviction of charges of preparation for crime or attempted crime, murder and illegal storage of weapons.
The sentence was reduced by a fourth under an amnesty. Rustamov will serve his sentence in a high-security penal colony and will have his property confiscated.
Two other persons – Nematullo Boymatov and Nourullo Davlatov – were tried along with Rustamov in the same court. They were given prison sentences of 8 years and 4 months and 8½ years respectively. Their sentenced were also reduced under the amnesty.
The source in the Supreme Court says, “The preliminary investigation has established that in April 2000, a group of border guards, having immediate relatives of Qurbon Cholov in their midst, set fire to café belonging to the Rustamov family. In revenge, Safarmad Rustamov together with his supporters plotted murder of Cholov.”
According to him, a group of supporters of Safarmad Rustamov armed with assault rifles Kalashnikov, sub-machine-guns and grenade launchers attacked a convoy of Qurbon Cholov in May 2000. Two of eight persons accompanying Cholov were wounded.
Some of supporters of Rustamov were jailed in 2001. As far as Safarmad Rustamov is concerned, he was arrested in July 2011 and his trial started in the Supreme Court on November 16, 2011.
We will recall that Safarmad Rustamov, also known as aka “Kaboud” (Blue) on account of his blue eyes, was detained by Kulob police on July 7, 2011 and taken to Dushanbe.
Some sources made a suggestion that Rustamov”s detention might be connected with the riots that broke out in Kulob in June after angry fans of the local soccer team, Ravshan Kulob, accused referees of favoring the Istiqlol team.
But Ravshan deputy manager Akram Huseynov said that Rustamov never provided any financial support to the club and Kulob deputy prosecutor Ozar Isoyev also rejected the speculation about Safarmad Rustamov”s possible involvement in the rioting by Ravshan fans. He said 16 people were suspected of participating in the riots, but Rustamov was not one of them.
In a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, Tajik Prosecutor-General Sherkhon Salimzoda noted in July that Safarmad Rustamov was arrested on suspicion of hooliganism. “At first, he was charged with attempted murder but later, this charge was dropped and he is now charged with hooliganism,” Salimzoda said.
To all appearance the charge of attempted murder was brought against Rustamov again during investigation, while the hooliganism charge was dismissed.
