KHUJAND, June 8, Asia-Plus -- A court in Khujand has sentenced two persons to long terms in prison for membership in the outlawed religious extremist “Hizb ut-Tahrir” organization.  

The Khujand city court Wednesday [June 7] sentenced a 30-year-old resident of Khujand, Abduvali Sattorov to 13 years in jail.  Judge Ismoil Rahmatov, who took in the trial, has told Asia-Plus that the sentence followed his conviction on charges of inciting racial, ethnic or religious enmity (Article 189 of the Criminal Code of Tajikistan) and calling for the violent overthrow of Tajikistan ’s current form of government (Article 307). 

On June 7, the Khujand city court sentenced another member of the Hizb ut-Tahrir organization, a 39-year-old resident of the Rudaki district (central Tajikistan ) Valijon Yusupov, to ten years in jail.  He was also found guilty of inciting racial, ethnic or religious enmity and calling for the violent overthrow of Tajikistan ’s current form of government, according to Ismoil Rahmatov.