Despite torture claims, Tajik man imprisoned for IS recruiting
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 30 March 2017 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Despite torture claims, Tajik man imprisoned for IS recruiting, 30 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5975a6d74.html [accessed 21 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
March 30, 2017
Tajik prisoner Jovidon Hakimov (file photo)
DUSHANBE – A Tajik man who claimed that his confession of trying to recruit fighters for the Islamic State (IS) extremist group was obtained under duress, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
A court in Dushanbe on March 30 found Jovidon Hakimov, 29, guilty of organizing a criminal group and recruiting Tajik citizens to the ranks of IS militants fighting in Syria and Iraq. The court sentenced him the same day.
Hakimov's lawyer and relatives said they will appeal the ruling.
Hakimov claimed earlier that he had been severely beaten by police officers who interrogated him after his arrest in January.
Several police officers who testified at the Dushanbe court hearing refuted Hakimov's claims.
Tajik authorities say some 1,100 Tajik nationals have joined IS militants in the Middle East, with most of them recruited in Russia, where hundreds of thousands of Tajiks are migrant workers.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
