DUSHANBE, March 2, 2012, Asia-Plus — The case of Abdurahmon Dodov, an investigator with the police station in Dushanbe’s Shohmansour district, charged over the death of a detainee, has been remitted for further examination.
The injured party’s lawyer, Ms. Gulchehra Kholmatova, says the judge made a decision to remit the case for further examination following request made by her during hearing of arguments.
“We drew attention of the judge to violations that were revealed during the preliminary investigation into death of Bahromiddin Shodiyev (detainee) and conflicting testimony of witnesses,” the lawyer said.
Meanwhile, a prosecutor in the trial of Abdurahmon Dodov asked the court on March 1 to sentence Dodov to two years in prison.
Abdurahmon Dodov does not admit guilt, saying that he acted within the framework of the law.
Ms. Kholmatova considers that the prosecution has supported the investigation’s position and attempted to commute the sentence. She now supposes that three other police officers of the Shohmansour police station will also be brought to trial. Criminal case instituted against them was dropped during the investigation.
The trial of Abdurahmon Dodov began on February 17. On February 17, prosecutor announced that Dodov has been charged with negligence that led to detainee’s death.
We will recall that officers from the police station in Dushanbe”s Shohmansour district arrested Bahromiddin Shodiyev on October 19, 2011 on suspicion of theft. The following day, he was taken comatose to the National Medical Center, where he underwent surgery. He died 10 days later.
According to prosecutor, Shodiyev was arrested with violation of procedural norms, without drawing up a report.
Two other former officers from the Shohmansour police station – Dilovar Murodov and Alisher Inoyatov – appeared in court as witnesses. According to them, they took Shodiyev to the police station on October 18 and he allegedly sustained serious injuries on October 19 when he jumped from a second-story window.
Meanwhile, relatives say Bahromiddin Shodiyev died on October 30 eleven days after he was beaten in the police station in Dushanbe’s Shohmansour district.
Bahromiddin’s mother, Niyozbibi Bouriyeva, says her son suffered from drug addiction and they were going to hospitalize him on October 19, “but four police officers detained him not far from our house and took him to the police station in the Shohmansour district.” “The next day, he was taken to the resuscitation department. Physicians needed my permission for operation; that is why police informed me that my son is in the hospital,” Ms. Bouriyeva said.
According to her, Bahromiddin told her that police officers severely beat him making him admit to the crimes he did not commit. “He said they used beatings and electric shock to extort confessions,” said she. “He said police taped his mouth shut so no one could hear him screaming. He was practically unconscious when heard that policemen were agreeing that if anything goes wrong they will say that he sustained injuries while jumping out the second-floor window.”
Major Dilovar Murodov, Captain Alisher Inoyatov and Lieutenant Abdurahmon Dodov from the police station in Dushanbe’s Shohmansour district were dismissed as a result of the internal investigation into their alleged role in the death of Bahromiddin Shodiyev. Besides, the deputy chief of the Shohmansour police station, Lieutenant-Colonel Ilhomjon Karimov, was dismissed. Shohmansour police station chief, Colonel Safarmad Odinayev, the chief of the investigation department within the Shohmansour police station, Major Abduqodir Nazarov, and his deputy, Senior Lieutenant Bahodur Sodiqov, were reprimanded.
Similar situation happened to Safarali Sangov who died last March from severe injuries sustained in what his relatives say was a beating at the police station in Dushanbe”s Sino district, the statement noted.
Police say Sangov allegedly committed suicide by jumping from a second-story set of stairs and, when he was then returned to an interrogation room, by repeatedly banging his head against a wall.
