DUSHANBE, February 7, 2013, Asia-Plus — The first hearing of the lawsuit filed by Rustam Hukumov, the son of Tajik Railways head Amonullo Hukumov, against Tajikistan’s daily newspaper,
Imrouz News
(News Today), will start on February 11, Zokir Aminov, head of the court in Dushanbe’s Sino district, told Asia-Plus in an interview.
Rustam Hukumov filed the lawsuit against
Imrouz News
on January 29, asking for 50,000 somoni as compensation of moral damage that was allegedly caused by an article published by the newspaper.
“Rustam Hukumov strongly objects to the conclusion drawn by the journalist that he [Rustam Hukumov] was allegedly released in exchange for the release of two pilots working for Rolkan Investment Ltd,” Aminov said.
He further added that Rustam Hukumov asked the court to consider the case behind closed doors.
An article “Hukumov and Bakiyev Become Headache for Their Fathers” that was published in the newspaper last October has become the cause of the lawsuit. The article was about detention of the sons of Amonullo Hukumov and ex-Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev by law enforcement authorities of other countries.
We will recall that the Shchyolkovo court (Moscow oblast) sentenced Rustam Hukumov to 9½ years in prison on September 15, 2010. The sentence followed his conviction on the charge of drug smuggling. Rustam Hukumov, who is citizen of Russia, and three his friends were reportedly detained with nine kilograms of heroin in the Moscow oblast in June 2008. Investigation lasted for two years and he was sentenced to nine years. Narcotics had reportedly been transported to Russia by rail.
In the meantime, members of the board of the Moscow regional court considered the supervisory complaint in December and reportedly came to a unanimous opinion that the verdict against Rustam Hukumov was based on assumptions and allegations and that his guilt had not been proved during the trial. Moscow regional court board overturned the verdict against Rustam Hukumov and he was acquitted and released in connection with non-participation in that crime.
According to some Russian media outlets, the case arose in the autumn of 2011 when a Tajik court sentenced two pilots working for Rolkan Investment Ltd to 8 ½ years in prison each for flying illegally into Tajikistan and smuggling and smuggling aircraft parts. Some of them that time published allegations that by convicting the pilots the Tajik authorities tried to make pressure on Russia to release Rustam Hukumov. Russia demanded reconsideration of the pilots’ case and they were released on November 22. The Tajik court reduced the pilots” sentences to 21/2 years each. With the subtraction of two years under the amnesty, and six months for time served, the immediate release of the pilots was secured.
