KHUJAND, April 10, 2013, Asia-Plus — Resident of the northern Sughd province has got a jail term of 17 years for membership in illegal armed formation of mutinous Colonel Mahmoud Khudoiberdiev, who was behind a failed 1998 coup attempt in northern Tajikistan.
The Shahriston district court sentenced Hasan Dadaboyev, 28, to 17 years in prison on April 9. The sentence followed his conviction on the charges of high treason, forcible seizure of power or forcible retention of power, organization of illegal armed formation, banditry, organization of a criminal grouping, and illegal border crossing.
An official source at the Shahriston district court says the criminal proceedings against Dadaboyev were instituted by the State Committee for National Security (SCNS)’s office for Sughd province.
“Dadaboyev was detained in the Russian Federation and extradited to Tajikistan in November 2012,” said the source, “According to the preliminary investigation, Dadaboyev was involved in collaboration with illegal armed formation of Khudoiberdiev in 2002.”
Dadaboyev reportedly admitted that he had undergone training at training camps belonging to Mahmoud Khudoiberdiev in Uzbekistan.
Colonel Mahmoud Khudoiberdiev made two failed coup attempts in 1997 and 1998. After the failed coup attempt made in August 1997, Khudoiberdiyev and his supporters reportedly retreated south via Shahritous and Beshkent into southern Uzbekistan. According to some sources, after leaving Tajikistan, the mutinous colonel and his militant followers moved through Uzbekistan into Afghanistan in November 1997. Khudoiberdiyev reportedly returned to Uzbekistan in June 1998. On November 4 1998, Khudoiberdiev’s armed group invaded Sughd province from Uzbekistan. A few days later the government regained control of the province. Some 100 people were reportedly killed in the Sughd clashes. Tajik Prosecutor-General’s Office instituted criminal proceedings against Khudoiberdiyev under the provisions of two articles of Tajikistan’s Penal Code (high treason and coup attempt) and has repeatedly requested Uzbek authorities to extradite Khudoiberdiyev to Tajikistan.
