QURGHON TEPPA, June 11, 2014, Asia-Plus — The case of Davlatali Cholov, who is charged with recruiting Tajik nationals for Syrian conflict, has moved to a court.
Davlatali Cholov was one of former field commanders of the Popular Front of the Popular Front of Tajikistan (PFT — a paramilitary group that supported the government during the five-year conflict). He was arrested in late February for calling on Kulob youth to fight on the side of antigovernment forces in Syria.
“Davlatali Cholov joined the outlawed religious extremist organization Islamic Movement of Turkestan (IMT) and got in contact with Savriddin Jourayev, Azatjon Khojamqulov and Abdurahmon Qodirov, who were serving their jail terms in penal colony and were engaged in recruiting Kulob residents for Syrian conflict,” Anvar Nazarov, an aide to the Khatlon chief prosecutor, told Asia-Plus in an interview.
According to him, criminal proceedings have been instituted against Davlatali Cholov and his accomplices under the provisions of two articles of Tajikistan’s Penal Code: Article 187 (3) – organizing a criminal group; and Article 307 (2) – organizing activity of an extremist group.
“Besides, a prosecutor’s office in the Bokhtar district has instituted criminal proceedings against six local residents who are put on wanted persons list,” said Nazarov. “They are charged with being tied to Al-Qaeda group.”
Davlatali Cholov is one of brothers of Qurbon Cholov, who was one of top warlords of the PFT in the Kulob region. Two other brothers of Qurbon Cholov — Firdavs and Sulaymon — were sentenced to 6 and 8 years in prison respectively. One more of the Cholov brothers – Javharsho — has been held in the detention center in Kulob.
It is considered that the Cholov family contributed to the current leadership’s rise to power in the country and Qurbon Cholov held leadership positions in Tajikistan’s border control committee in the 1990s. But campaign on removing warlords from leadership positions was launched in early 2000s and Qurbon Cholov and some other PFT warlords were dismissed in 2002.
According to Tajik authorities, four Tajik nationals have been killed in Syria, and six others have been arrested in Tajikistan upon their return from Syria.
In December 2013, Tajikistan”s Supreme Court sentenced five of the country”s citizens to around two years in jail for fighting on the side of antigovernment forces in Syria. The five were reportedly students at the Syrian International University who decided to join Syrian rebel forces. All five were detained in October when they returned to Tajikistan. Since Tajikistan did not have a law against “mercenaries” that time, the five were charged with “participation in a criminal group or in other armed groups.”
Meanwhile, Tajikistan’s lower house (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of parliament on May 22 approved an amendment to the Criminal Code stipulating punishment for Tajik nationals taking part in foreign armed conflicts.
According to some media sources, more than 190 Tajik are fighting in Syria on the side of rebel forces.
Over the first five months of this year, Khatlon law enforcement authorities have reportedly instituted seven criminal proceedings against nine alleged members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), three criminal proceedings against alleged members of Al-Qaeda, one against alleged member of Jamaat Tabligh, one against alleged member of Jamaat Ansarullah and one against alleged member of Salafi group.
