Former serviceman of the Agrarian Battalion of the Armed Forces of Tajikistan has been sentenced to pay a fine of 25,000 somoni for contacts with Tajik mercenary who had fought alongside Taliban militants in Afghanistan.
An official source at the military court of the Dushanbe garrison says Qduratullo Zavqov served in the Agrarian Battalion from April 2016 to August 2018. While serving, Zavqov reportedly made contact through social networks with Tajik national Abdujabbor Saidalov, who had been fighting alongside Taliban militants in Afghanistan in close proximity to Tajikistan’s border.
“Zavqov knew that Saidalov was fighting alongside Taliban militants but did not inform the law enforcement authorities,” the source said.
According to him, Saidalov was detained in April last year while illegally crossing the Afghan-Tajik border. In August 2018, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. The sentence followed Saidalov’s conviction on charges of parricide, public calls for the forcible overthrow of or changes to the constitutional order in Tajikistan, mercenary activity, attempted crime and illegal border crossing.
During the trial, Saidalov reportedly admitted that he had been fighting alongside Taliban militants in Afghanistan and had contacts with Zavqov through social media.
Taking into account the youth and sincere repentance, the military court of the Dushanbe garrison sentenced Zavqov to pay the fine of 25,000 somoni in accordance with Article 347 of Tajikistan’s Penal Code – not reporting crime, the source added.
