Seven people, including four women, are standing trial in the northern Sughd province for an attempt to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) extremist group. Meanwhile, eighteen relatives of these people are already in Syria to fight alongside ISIS militants.
The Sughd regional court is considering the criminal proceedings instituted against them. They are members of one family from the Navgilem jamoat, which is subordinate to the city of Isfara.
A source at the Sughd regional court says the 47year-old member of this family, who instigated other members of the family to travel to Syria, faces charges of organizing a criminal group (Article 187 (2) of Tajikistan’s Penal Code), organizing activity of an extremist group (Article 307’) and illegal involvement of Tajik nationals and stateless persons permanently living in Tajikistan in foreign armed conflicts (Article 401').
The six other members of this family reportedly face charges of preparation for a crime and criminal attempt (Article 32 (3) of Tajikistan’s Penal Code) and mercenary activities (Article 401’)
They were detained in Turkey in late 2017 while attempting to illegally cross the Tajik-Syrian border, the source added.
