DUSHANBE , January 18, Asia-Plus - In 2005, the Supreme Court of Tajikistan considered 2,306 complaints lodged by citizens, Izbillo Khojayev, Chairman of the Supreme Court announced at a news conference in Dushanbe on January 17. 

He noted that the Supreme Court had disaffirmed 117 sentences and 167 resolutions passed by the courts of lower instances.    

“In 2005, military and criminal boards of the Supreme Court considered 57 criminal cases as court of first instance,” Khojayev said, noting that in total, the Supreme Court considered 885 criminal and 1,421 legal proceedings last year.   

He noted that last year, the Supreme Court discharged 57 people that had been sentenced by courts of first instance to prison terms.   According to him, the Supreme Court last year considered appeals against 536 criminal proceedings against 766 people revealing and removing many errors and violations of law made courts of first instances.  “As a result, sentenced passed by courts of first instance on 160 convicts were remitted to further consideration and sentences passed on 151 convicts were changed,” Khojayev noted.  

Last year, the Supreme Court’s Military Board passed verdicts of “not guilty” on 15 servicemen that were convicted by courts of first instance, Izbillo Khojayev told journalists.  According to him, the Military Board of the Supreme Court last year considered 26 criminal proceedings as court of first instance.  Servicemen stood trials mainly for charges of killing, raping, involvement in drug trafficking, etc.  “All of them were sentenced to imprisonment,” The Supreme Court head noted.