English teacher, students jailed on terrorism charges in Tajikistan
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 16 November 2018 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, English teacher, students jailed on terrorism charges in Tajikistan, 16 November 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5c34a75a121.html [accessed 23 May 2023] |
| 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. |
2018-11-16
By RFE/RL's Tajik Service
According to lawyers and relatives, some of the nine men plan to appeal the court ruling.
DUSHANBE – A 22-year-old English-language teacher, his four students, and five other young men have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms on terrorism charges in Tajikistan.
The Dushanbe city court sentenced Jahongir Qosimov to 19 years in prison on November 16 in a closed trial after finding him guilty of recruiting young Tajiks to join the Islamic State (IS) extremist group.
Nine other young men, including Qosimov's four students, were found guilty of propagating religious extremism and intending to join IS.
They were handed prison terms of between six months and 19 years. Qosimov had confessed to propagating IS ideas among his students.
The four men were caught earlier this year while trying to illegally cross the Tajik-Afghan border. They later confessed to planning to join IS in Afghanistan, relatives said.
Five other men were detained and charged after the arrests of Qosimov's four students. It was unclear whether they had pleaded guilty as well at the hearing.
According to lawyers and relatives, some of the nine men plan to appeal the court ruling.
Tajik authorities have said that more than 1,000 nationals of the Central Asian state have joined IS in recent years.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
