DUSHANBE, February 19, 2016, Asia-Plus –
Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service
reports thirteen residents of the city of Norak in Khatlon province have been jailed for raising the Islamic State (IS) group”s flag in a public place.
A court in Norak reportedly sentenced the thirteen men to prison terms between 10 and 27 years on February. The sentence followed their conviction on charges of publicly calling for extremist activities to overthrow the government and organizing a criminal group.
The youngest in the group is 21, the oldest 74.
The convicted were arrested in August last year after they raised a black flag looking similar to the one known as the IS flag in downtown Norak.
We will recall that it is not the first case of jailing in Tajikistan for raising IS group’s flag.
On December 1, 2015, the Khatlon regional court sentenced seven residents of the Shahritous district to jail terms between seven and 27 years. The men, three of whom were younger than 18, were found guilty of publicly calling to overthrow the government and recruiting people to illegally fight abroad.
They were also arrested last August after they raised the IS flag in the administrative center of the Shahritous district.
Meanwhile, Tajik authorities say up to 1,000 nationals have joined Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq, doubling the figure that officials previously provided.
