DUSHANBE, March 30, 2011, Asia-Plus — The Supreme Court board has upheld its chairman’s ruling to cut jail terms for sons of ex-Minister of Emergency Situations and former United Tajik Opposition (UTO)’s top military commander during the 1992-97 civil war Mirzo Ziyoev, Ms. Sanovbar Kholova, chairperson of the Supreme Court board for criminal cases, told Asia-Plus Wednesday afternoon.
According to her, in a ruling handed down on February 28, the court halved jail terms for Sayahmad Ziyoev and Mahmadrizo Ziyoev.
“Mirzo Ziyoev”s eldest son, Sayahmad, 26, who was initially sentenced to 30 years in prison will serve 15 years in jail, and his younger son, Muhammadrizo, 23, who was sentenced to 28 years will serve 13½ years in prison,” said Kholova, “The decision on confiscation of their properties, however, remains in effect.”
The Supreme Court sentenced two sons of Mirzo Ziyoev to long jail terms in July 2010. 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.
“The Supreme Court board came to a conclusion that Sayahmad and Mahmadrizo did play a serious role in the Tavildara events,” Kholova noted.
We will recall that in summer 2009, illegal armed groups clashed with police in Tavildara district on two separate occasions. Tajik officials reported in early July 2010 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 on July 11 in ambush by his supporters on his way to negotiate the disarming of insurgents. His supporters deny any responsibility for his death.
In July 2009, Tajik law enforcement forces were fighting insurgents in the area for several weeks. 46 insurgents were detained and 11 others were killed. Tajik authorities conducted what they said was an anti-drug operation in the area.
The Tajik Supreme Court sentenced two of those 46 detained insurgents to life imprisonment, two to 23-30 year terms, and the rest to sentences ranging from 10 to 27 years.
Kholova noted that jail terms had been reduced for many of them. She added that charges of organizing a criminal group, illegal possession of weapons, and plotting to forcibly seize power brought against Mirzo Ziyoev’s brother Abdusamad Ziyoev and Muhsiddin Muhiddinov, 66, had been re-qualified into ‘non reporting of crime’ and they had been released under an amnesty.
