Black flag of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror group has reportedly been hoisted over an enterprise owned by relative of the founder of the Islamic revival Party of Party of Tajikistan (IPRT) Sayid Abdulloh Nouri.
According to unofficial sources, ISIS flag was hoisted over the enterprise located in the Vakhsh district of the Khatlon province on the night of September 18-19.
Three residents of the Vakhsh district were reportedly arrested on suspicion of hoisting the flag over the enterprise.
The law enforcement authorities of the Khatlon province have refrained from commenting on the incident.
Meanwhile, Ferghana news agency reports Nusratullo Saidov, nephew of Sayid Abdulloh Nouri, has been arrested on suspicion of involvement in that incident.
According to Ferghana, Kholmurod Nouriddinov, the head of the Tojikobod jamoat in the Vakhsh district, confirmed the fact of the arrest of Nusratullo Saidov in his interview with Akhbor.com website.
Three ISIS flags have reportedly been found in the loft of head office of the farming unit managed by Nusratullo Saidov. Some ten other people have reportedly been detained together with Nusratullo Nouri.
Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reports that ISIS flags were hoisted over the houses of Nusratullo Saidov and one another local resident on February 16. But it is unknown who and for what purpose hoisted those flags.
Meanwhile, Nusratullo Saidov told regional newspaper Khatlon on February 19 that he has not been arrested. According to him, he was just summoned to the law enforcement authorities for questioning on Monday and he was released after questioning.
Nusratullo Saidov is the son of Nouriddin Saidov, the elder brother of Sayid Abdulloh Nouri.
Sayid Abdulloh Nouri (March 15, 1947 – August 9, 2006) led the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan from 1993 until he died of cancer in August 2006. During the Tajik civil war of 1992 to 1997 he led the United Tajik Opposition (UTO). Nouri and President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon ended the civil war by signing the Tajik National Peace Accord in 1997.
Nouri was born in Sangvor, Rasht Valley, Tajikistan. In 1974 he founded Nahzat-i Islomi, an Islamic education organization. Soviet police arrested him in 1986 for spreading 'religious propaganda', imprisoning him until 1988.
It is to be noted that it was the first case of hoisting ISIS flags in the Khatlon province.
Recall, 13 residents of the city of Norak were jailed in February 2016 for raising the ISIS group’s flag in a public place. A court in Norak found them guilty of publicly calling for extremist activities to overthrow the government and organizing a criminal group and the men were sentenced to prison terms between 10 and 27 years. The youngest in the group was 21, the oldest 74.
The convicted were arrested in August 2015 after they raised a black flag looking similar to the one known as the ISIS flag in downtown Norak.
In August 2015, seven men raised a similar flag in the Shahritous district of the Khatlon province. They were sentenced in December 2015 to prison terms between seven and 27 years.
