Resident of Tursunzoda who tried to join and fight for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror group has been sentenced to twelve years in prison, according to the press center of the Prosecutor-General’s Office.
The Tursunzoda city court sentenced the 23-year-old Jourabek Sultonov to twelve years in prison. He will serve his term in a high-security penal colony.
Sultonov was detained in Turkey in December last year while attempting to illegally cross the Turkish-Syrian border. He was then extradited to Tajikistan.
Sultonov reportedly got acquainted with the ideas of ISIS terror group through social networking media while working as labor migrant in the Russian Federation and decided to join the ISIS militants.
In late November last year, Sultonov left Moscow for Kyiv and from there he traveled to Istanbul. He was detained in Turkey in early December while attempting to illegally cross the Turkish-Syrian border. Sultonov was then extradited to Tajikistan, the Prosecutor General’s Office press center said.
Recall, Turkey’s Ambassador to Tajikistan, Mr. Ali Rifat Köksal, told reporters in Dushanbe on July 13 last year that “no one criminal put by Tajikistan on the internationally wanted list will find refuge in Turkey.” According to him, the current bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and Turkey in many fields, especially in the field of security, is excellent.
