DUSHANBE, June 29, 2016, Asia-Plus – An activist of the banned Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) has been released from the Istanbul pretrial detention facility.
Qamariddin Afzali, the member of the IRPT Political Council, was reportedly detained in Istanbul two months ago at the request of the Tajik authorities.
Afzali’s relatives say he was released from custody on June 28.
Qamariddin Afzali was the head of the IRPT’s organization for Khatlon province. He together with some other members of the IRPT left Tajikistan after the Islamic Revival Party was banned.
We will recall that two deputy heads of the banned Islamic Revival Party have been sentenced to life imprisonment while several others have received lengthy jail terms.
A court in Dushanbe on June 2 delivered life sentences to the deputy party heads Saidumar Husaini and Muhammad Hayit.
Eleven other high-ranking HNIT officials were sentenced to jail terms ranging from 14 to 28 years.
Zurafo Rahmoni, the party”s lawyer and the only woman in the high-profile trial, was sentenced to two years in prison.
The group was accused of conspiring with former Defense Minister Abduhalim Nazarzoda in a supposed armed bid to seize power in early September 2015.
They were arrested on September 16 and 17 after completion of the operation against the armed group of Abduhalim Nazarzoda.
In all, the Tajik authorities have arrested 23 leading members and activists of the IRPT, alleging their direct involvement into the September 4 attacks’ masterminding.
Tajikistan’s Supreme Court banned the Islamic Revival Party as terrorist group on September 29 on the basis of a suit filed by the Prosecutor-General’s Office. The Supreme Court ruled that the IRP should be included on a blacklist of extremist and terrorist organizations. The verdict forces the closure of the IRP”s official newspaper Najot and bans the distribution of any video, audio, or printed materials related to the party”s activities.
Party leader Muhiddin Kabiri, who now lives in exile, has rejected the accusations.
