DUSHANBE, January 19, 2011, Asia-Plus — An operation to hunt down jailbreak fugitives is going on and it is the matter of honor for the country’s law enforcement authorities to recapture the remaining ten fugitives who are still at large, Minister of Interiors Abdurahim Qahhorov remarked at a news conference in Dushanbe on January 19.
He pointed out that there ought to draw a parallel between those fugitives and “street rabble or so-called ordinary delinquents.”
“They have contacts with criminals and may have considerable money,” said the minister, “They know where to hide, but I hope that we will recapture all of them.”
We will recall that 25 convicts serving long jail terms escaped from the detention facility in the early hours of morning of August 23, 2010 killing five prison guards. Dressing in camouflage, the escapees reportedly fled toward eastern Tajikistan. The majority of the fugitives were among 46 people convicted by the Supreme Court on August 19 of terrorism, drug trafficking, and seeking the forcible overthrow of the government. The escaped prisoners include six Russian citizens, four Afghans, and two Uzbeks. Most were accused of participating in last year”s armed rebellion in Tavildara.
By December 19, three escaped (including one Russian and Afghan national) have been killed when resisting arrest and twelve others (including two Russians and three Afghans) have been recaptured in Dushanbe, eastern Tajikistan as well as in Afghanistan. The government forces currently continue to hunt for the remaining ten fugitives.
