KHUJAND, June 12, 2009, Asia-Plus — Relatives of jailed associates of Nizom Jourayev denounce court’s verdict, considering it baseless and unfair.
The source at the Sughd regional court told Asia-Plus that guard of the building of the Sughd regional court in Khujand was reinforced yesterday after relatives of the jailed persons began threatening the court employees for allegedly unfair sentence and too long jail terms. “There were even rumors that dissatisfied relatives are going to organize demonstration near the regional court building,” the source said.
As it had been reported earlier, the Supreme Court sentenced 31 associates of the ex-director of the Isfara chemical plant, Kimyo, Nizom Jourayev, to lengthy prison terms on June 10. they were sentenced to jail terms ranging from 10 to 25 years. The sentence followed their conviction on charges of a number of serious crimes, including organization of criminal grouping, tax evasion and a number of financial crimes.
Thus, two brothers of Nizom Jourayev – Tolib Jourayev and Fakhriddin Jourayev – were sentenced to 23 and 21 years in prison respectively. Nizom Jourayev and his brothers were reportedly involved in the murder of former Deputy Prosecutor-General Tolib Boboyev in 1999.
Nizom Jourayev himself is still wanted by police. Investigation into his financial activities was launched din 2007. He was charged with embezzlement of some 400,000 somoni of state funds. In 2008, Nizom Jourayev was officially accused of ordering the assassination of Tolib Boboyev. He left the country before his arrest warrant was issued
In the meantime, Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reported on June 11 that lawyers and relatives of the convicted persons say that all the charges are baseless, and the Tajik authorities are simply using them to seize the property and businesses of Jourayev and his colleagues.
