DUSHANBE, August 21, 2010, Asia-Plus – A large group of supporters of slain ex-Minister of Emergencies Mirzo Ziyoev have been sentenced to long jail terms.
The source in Tajikistan’s Supreme Court says 46 people, including five people having Russian citizenship, were on the dock. “Two of them were sentenced to life imprisonment, 23 people got jail terms of 30 years each, and 21 others were sentenced to between 10 and 15 years in prison,” the source said, “The sentence followed their conviction on charges of organization of illegal armed groups and other serious crimes.”
We will recall that the Supreme Court last month sentenced two sons of Mirzo Ziyoev to prison terms up to 30 years; Saidahmad Ziyoev was sentenced to 30 years and Muhamamdrizo Ziyoev got a jail term of 28 years. They faced charges of establishing illegal armed groups, illegal possession of weapons, and plotting to overthrow or forcibly change the constitutional order of the country.
Ex-Minister of Emergencies Mirzo Ziyoev was killed in the course of a special operation on disarming illegal armed group in Tavildara district, Rasht Valley (eastern Tajikistan) on July 11, 2009.
Last summer, illegal armed groups clashed with police in Tavildara district on two separate occasions. Tajik officials reported in early July last year that Mirzo Ziyoev had been arrested because of his support for armed groups suspected of involvement in terrorism and drug trafficking. Tajik authorities announced shortly afterward that Ziyoev was killed in ambush by his supporters on his way to negotiate the disarming of insurgents. Ziyoev’s supporters deny any responsibility for his death.
In July 2009, Tajik law enforcement forces were fighting insurgents in the area for several weeks. Some 50 insurgents were detained and 11 others were killed. Tajik authorities conducted what they said was an anti-drug operation in the area.
Mirzo Ziyoev was one of the top military commanders of the United Tajik Opposition (UTO) during Tajikistan”s 1992-97 civil war. After the 1997 General Peace Agreement, he was eventually given his ministerial post as part of the power-sharing deal that ended the civil war. The ministry was disbanded in 2006.
