The families of Behzodjon Kholzoda and Muslihiddin Fakhruddinov, residents of the Mastchoh district who were sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of their colleague Amrullo Boymirzoyev, disagree with the court’s verdict and plan to appeal to higher judicial authorities.
Amrullo Boymirzoyev was found murdered on the night of October 23, 2024, in the Patar village council, which is subordinate to the northern city of Konibodom. Behzodjon Kholzoda and Muslihiddin Fakhruddinov, who worked with Boymirzoyev at a cotton ginnery in the city, were arrested on suspicion of the murder.
Six months later, the Sughd regional court found both men guilty of Boymirzoyev’s murder and sentenced them at the end of April this year to 30 years in prison.
However, the relatives of both convicted men disagree with the ruling and intend to file an appeal with higher courts.
Polvon Gulov, father of Muslihiddin Fakhruddinov, emphasized his son’s innocence in a phone call with Asia-Plus on May 6. He stated that the entire trial was held behind closed doors and that they have not yet received a copy of the verdict needed to file an appeal.
“We believe in our son’s innocence. He and Amrullo grew up together and were always kind to each other. As parents, we don’t know what condition our children are in or under what circumstances they confessed. Although the verdict has not yet come into legal force, we’ve already prepared a cassation appeal and will go as far as the president’s office,” he said.
Gulov also expressed concern that he was not able to see his son even once during the six months he was held in the pre-trial detention center — only once were Muslihiddin’s wife and children allowed to visit him.
Relatives of Behzodjon Kholzoda also told Asia-Plus that they disagree with the verdict and plan to file an appeal with higher courts.
Farhodjon Kholzoda said that when he saw his brother in the temporary detention center, “Behzodjon insisted he didn’t even know about the murder.”
“The incident with Amrullo’s murder happened around 3:00 to 3:30 a.m. Both of the accused were asleep at that time. When morning came and they were getting ready for work, they found out about the murder,” said Muslihiddin’s brother. “A few days later, they were arrested by Sughd region police officers as suspects.”
“Amrullo was our friend. We respected him. There was never any conflict or misunderstanding between him and my brother,” he added.
Authorities have not publicly commented on the case. Over the past six months, Asia-Plus has repeatedly tried to obtain an official explanation but has received no response.
“No one knows who killed my son or why. His death broke me, and I don’t know what to do,” Amrullo Boimirzoev’s father previously told Asia-Plus.
Chronology of the event
Amrullo Boymirzoyev, who worked at a cotton ginnery, was murdered under mysterious circumstances on the night of October 22–23, 2024, in the Patar village council of Konibodom.
At the time, the Interior Ministry’s Office in Sughd province reported that two of Boimirzoev’s colleagues were detained in connection with the murder and that the crime was committed “out of hostility and for financial gain.”
“The motive for the murder was to obtain a sum of money that was to be delivered to the cotton ginnery, with which the victim, Amrullo Boymirzoyev, was directly working on the day of the incident,” the Interior Ministry’s Office in Sughd province said.
Boymirzoyev was reportedly “killed by being struck with a club and strangled with a synthetic rope.”
In a video released to the public — the context of which remains unclear — Behzodjon Kholzoda and Muslihiddin Fakhruddinov confessed to murdering their colleague.
Boymirzoyev’s murder occurred during what was called a “wave of mysterious killings” in Konibodom. It was initially believed that he was another victim of these killings, but later authorities reported the arrest of suspects.
Between March and December 2024, 23 people from 7 families were killed in Konibodom. So far, four individuals have been detained in connection with those murders, and the investigation is ongoing.
