KHUJAND, May 29, Asia-Plus - A regional court in the Sughd province has sentenced a 20-year-old resident of Khujand Firdavs Ghafurov to life imprisonment for kidnapping and killing a 11-old-year boy. 

First deputy chairman of the Sughd regional court, Hotam Nazarov, says it is the first case in the province when defendant was sentenced to life imprisonment.  

According to him, the second-year student of the Law Faculty at Khujand State University Firdavs Ghafurov has faced charges of murder (Article 181, Part 3, Point ‘b’) and hostage-taking (Article 104, Part 2). 

“Ghafurov has faced up to 16 years in prison on killing charge alone and on the hostage-taking charge, he has faced life imprisonment,” Mr. Nazarov said.  

“On December 20, 2005 , Firdavs Ghafurov kidnapped the 11-year-old Sajod and at first he demanded from his parents a ransom of US$1,000 and later US$8,000 for releasing the boy,” said Nazarov, “When he called for the third time he was arrested by police but unfortunately he had already killed Sajod before that.”