A resident of the northern city of Khujand has got a lengthy jail term for membership in the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror group.
The Khujand city court sentenced the 37-year-old Sunatullo Muhammadiyev to fifteen years in prison on July 11. The sentence followed his conviction on charges of illegal involvement of citizens in foreign armed conflicts (Article 401’). Sunatullo Muhammadiyev will serve his term in a high-security penal colony.
Judge Shuhrat Saidmukhtorzoda, who presided over the trial, says Sunatullo Muhammadiyev together with his mother, his wife and three underage children traveled to Turkey in July 2016 and from there to Syria. He reportedly fought alongside ISIS militants during two months before being detained by Syrian law enforcement authorities and extradited to Tajikistan.
Recall, Sunatullo Muhammadiyev’s brother, Masrourkhon Muhammadiyev (doctor by profession), 36, was sentenced by the Khujand city court to 12 years in prison on June 13 for joining the ISIS terror group. He was found guilty of preparation for crime or attempted crime (Article 32 (3) of Tajikistan’s Penal Code) and illegal involvement of citizens in foreign armed conflicts (Article 401’). He is also serving his term in a high-security penal colony.
Masrourkhon Muhammadiyev reportedly joined the ISIS terror group in 2016 following calls from his Sunatullo Muhammadiyev, who was already fighting alongside ISIS militants in Syria.
Masrourkhon Muhammadiyev together with his wife and two underage children traveled to Istanbul, where he was detained by Turkish law enforcement authorities and extradited to Tajikistan.
Last year, courts in the northern Sughd province reportedly considered 165 criminal proceedings instituted against 257 local residents charged with involvement in terrorist and extremist activities.
