Members of the Group for monitoring of Penitentiary Institutions, which was set up within the frameworks of strategic priorities of the Civil Society Coalition against Torture and Impunity in Tajikistan, on June 26 met with former Minister of Industry Zayd Saidov, who is serving his jail term in a penal colony in Vahdat Township.
The Group said in its report that was released on June 29 that it was the first meeting with Zayd Saidov since December 2013 when he was convicted.
During the meeting, Zayd Saidov reportedly noted that he had no any special health complaints. There are stomach problems, and therefore he keeps a diet.
Saidov reportedly did not confirm information that he had allegedly sustained injury during the prison riot in Vahdat.
Saidov said that the last time he had met with members of his family before the prison riot. During the investigation, meetings are prohibited.
Recall, Zayd Saidov was convicted in December 2013. He was charged with bigamy or polygamy (article 170), illegal deprivation of an individual’s freedom” (article 131), rape (article 138), fraud (article 247), and bribery (article 319) under Tajikistan’s Penal Code. Authorities accused Saidov of raping an underage girl and fathering her child. Court-ordered DNA tests did not prove any link between Saidov and the child. Prosecutors also accused Saidov of simultaneously living with four wives. Saidov has said he has one legal wife but provides material support to two former wives. Zayd Saidov was sentenced to 26 years in prison on December 25, 2013.
In August 2015, Zayd Saidov had three years added to his 26-year prison sentence. Originally, prosecutors wanted to add 25 years to Saidov’s existing sentence and the court decided on 20 years for the new charges. The new charges were for forgery, abuse of office, embezzlement, and tax evasion and the case nominally revolved around construction of the Dushanbe-Plaza Center and alleged illegal privatization of a joint-stock company in conjunction with Saidov’s time as the Tajik Minister of Industry from 2002 to 2007. But Tajik legislation limits the overall period of imprisonment to 30 years. By adding three years to Saidov’s existing sentence he is serving 29 years in prison.
