KHUAJND, July 1, 2013, Asia-Plus — Former regional reporter for the Dushanbe-based independent weekly
Nouri Zindagi
(Light of Life) in Sughd province, Mahmadyusuf Ismoilov, has been transferred from the temporary holding facility of the Interior Ministry’s office in the Asht district, Sughd province to pretrial detention facility # 2 in the city of Khujand, the administrative center of Sughd province.
“A court in the Asht district issued an arrest warrant for Mahmadyusuf Ismoilov on June 26 and he was transferred to the pretrial detention facility in Khujand on June 29,” Ismoilov’s defense lawyer, Fazliddin Khudoiberdiyev, told Asia-Plus in an interview.
According to the lawyer, Mahmadyusuf Ismoilov has two children and the 73-year-old sister with disabilities to keep, and therefore, he has appealed against the measure of restraint chosen for his client.
“I have also applied to investigator Sharaf Akramov, who is trying Ismoilov’s case, for permission to meet my client,” said Khudoiberdiyev. “I am currently waiting for reply from the investigator.”
We will recall that police detained Mahmadyusuf Ismoilov on June 24 following an application by two local women.
The Tajik Interior Ministry announced on June 26 that Mahmadyusuf Ismoilov is accused of demanding bribes from two residents of the northern province of Sughd. Criminal proceedings have been instituted against Mahmadyusuf Ismoilov under the provisions of Article 250 (1) of Tajikistan’s Penal Code – extortion; an investigation is under way.
It is not the first time police have detained Mahmadyusuf Ismoilov. We will recall that Mahmadyusuf Ismoilov was arrested in November 2010 on separate counts of defamation, insult, and incitement to hatred over an article titled, “Asht Is Being Destroyed. Who Is Responsible for It?” In the article, published in the August 2010 issue of
Nouri Zindagi
, Ismoilov criticized government and law enforcement officials in the Asht district in the northern Sughd province of Tajikistan, and cited corruption, abuse of office, and mismanagement of funds.
Ismoilov who was facing 16 years imprisonment on charges related to his professional activities was released on October 14, 2011. The Khujand court, however, barred Mahmadyusuf Ismoilov from journalistic work for three years, and ordered him to pay a fine in the amount of 35,000 somoni for causing moral damages.
