KULOB, August 15, Asia-Plus  -- The trial of Shamsiddin Zaripov, the head of farming unit “Shams” in the Vose district, has been adjourned at request of his defense lawyer Rahmonali Rajabov.   

Mr. Rajabov asks for medical forensic examination for his client for responsibility.  However, Mr. Zaripov himself does not agree with his defense lawyer.  

In the meantime, during the trail it was noted that there was information from the Kulob Psychoneurological Center that Shamsiddin Zaripov has never been patient of mental hospital.  

Local lawyers have noted in their interviews with Asia-Plus that defense lawyer has the right to make any appeal to court, also without client’s consent.  However, they hold that Zaripov’s defense lawyer has appealed to court for examination just for drawling time until August 20, hoping that amnesty law that will be singed on this date will apply to his client as well.

We will recall that a court in Kulob began consideration of criminal proceedings instituted against Mr. Shamsiddin Zaripov, the head of farming unit “Shams” in the Vose district, on August 11.  According to information from the Kulob prosecutor office, Mr. Zaripov faces charges under four articled of Tajikistan’s Criminal Code: Article 135 (libel); Article 137 (publicly insulting the President of Tajikistan or slander addressed to him); Article 330 (insulting representatives of power); and Article 340 (document forgery).  The source says if convicted, Shamsiddin Zaripov could face from 9 to 17 years in prison on these charges.  

According to the source, during several years Shamsiddin Zaripov was writing insulting and libelous letters to different instances.  “Besides, 25 people were registered as working with his farming unit, while these people were not aware of this,” said the source, “Shamsiddin Zaripov hired farm-laborers from other places for working on 52 hectares of farmland.”  A part of debts of the former collective farm has gone over to his farming unit, but he has evaded repayment of this debt, according to the source.