DUSHANBE, April 29, 2011, Asia-Plus — Homeless family from Fayzobod district has been put on probation for ‘hooliganism.’
A court in Fayzobod district on April 28 put Atovullo Raqibov, his wife Gulru Ibodova, and his two sisters, Mohikalon Raqibova and Saida Raqibova, on one year’s probation for smashing the window of a bulldozer that was used by local authorities in September to demolish their house.
Atovullo’s brother Sharif Raqibov told Asia-Plus that a prosecutor in the trial asked the court to sentence Atovullo to three years in prison and put his wife and his two sisters on one-year probation.
Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reported yesterday that the bulldozer operator Rustam Obidov withdrew his suit against Raqibov on April 27, saying he does not want to see the father of five children jailed. At the same time, he said he hopes Raqibov will reimburse him for the damage, which he estimated at $350.
In 2009, local authorities ordered Raqibov”s house in the village of Zarkamar to be demolished because of reconstruction taking place nearby. But the family rejected the order to leave the home and staged several unsuccessful protests in front of the UN building and the ombudsman’s office in Dushanbe. The home was demolished and only one structure consisting of one room remained, in which Atovullo and his family lived.
Atovullo Raqibov told Asia-Plus in January when he and his family staged protest in front of the ombudsman’s office that they have all necessary documents, including the certificate of land use right. According to him, they went through all instances but failed to find solution to the problem.
The criminal case instituted against Raqibov in September 2010 was then suspended and it was resumed in January this year.
The Fayzobod district court began hearing Raqibov”s case in mid-March, but Atovullo Raqibov failed to appear in court because his wife was ill and on April 13 the judge ordered his arrest.
Raqibov”s case was covered by the media and visitors of the Asia-Plus website have called for providing help to the Raqibov family and people have begun to apply to the Asia-Pus office following that call. On April 23, the Asia-Plus correspondent visited the Zarkamar village to hand over 1,500 somoni and children’s clothing collected by commentators for the Raqibov family.
