DUSHANBE, July 30, 2008, Asia-Plus  - The Supreme court has sentenced two Tajik nationals, charged with killing Russian journalist in Moscow, to 21 years in prison each. 

The Supreme Court ruled on July 30 that Masrurjon Yatimov and Najmiddin Muhiddinov, charged with killing of a TV Channel One reporter Ilyas Shurpayev, be given a jail term of 21 years each and that they will serve their sentences in a high-security penal colony.  The sentence followed their conviction on charges of murder, robbery, and deliberate property destruction or damage.  

Justice Shuhrat Azimov took in the trial and representative of the Prosecutor-General''s Office Azimjon Abduyev was prosecutor in the trial of Yatimov and Muhiddinov.

The prosecutor in the trial asked the court to sentence Masrurjon Yatimov and Najmiddin Muhiddinov to 20 years each.      

Yatimov was found guilty under the provisions of Article 104, Part 2, Points ‘h’ and ‘i’ (murder) and Article 249, P 4, Point ‘b’ (robbery), while the charge brought against him under the provisions of Article 255, Part 2 (deliberate property destruction or damage) were dropped for failure of evidence.

Muhiddinov was found guilty on all charges formally brought against him: murder, robbery and deliberate property destruction or damage.  The court also ruled that Muhiddinov should undergo compulsory treatment for drug dependence.  

            According to the bill of indictment, the murder of Shurpayev was committed by Yatimov and Muhiddinov killed Shurpayev in a state of alcoholic intoxication in the previous concert for the purpose of seizing his property.  

The trial of Yatimov and Muhiddinov began in the Supreme Court on July 18. 

As it had been reported earlier, Masrurjon Yatimov and Najmiddin Muhiddinov were detained on March 29 on suspicion of having killed a Russian journalist. 

The two men allegedly killed Russian television journalist Ilyas Shurpayev, who was found strangled in his Moscow apartment. Russian firefighters discovered the body of Shurpayev on March 21 when they arrived to extinguish a fire in his apartment that had apparently been set by the killers in an attempt to cover up their crime.  Shurpayev had moved to Moscow from Daghestan, where he worked as a reporter for the Russia''s Channel One television.  The men reportedly tortured Shurpayev before killing him during the night of March 20-21 and stole some 100,000 rubles ($4,260) from him.  Later, Tajik police arrested a third suspect in the killing, Muhiddinov''s brother.