KULOB, August 5, 2008, Asia-Plus  - A court in Kulob has reconsidered criminal proceedings instituted against four Kulob residents Ravshan Khoushvakhtov, Saidkhon Yormadov, Nourullo Salimov and Yusuf Avliyoqulov, who were convicted in December 2007 of killing Nourali Asrorov, following ruling handed down by the Supreme Court. 

As it had been reported earlier, the Kulob court in early December 2007 sentenced Ravshan Khoushvakhtov to 16 years in prison, Saidkhon Yormadov to 6.5 years’ imprisonment, Yusuf Avliyoqulov to 5 years, and Nourullo Salimov to one year in jail for killing of Nourali Asrorov. 

In the meantime, a prosecutor in the trial of them asked the court to sentence Khoushvakhtov and Yormadov to 30 years’ imprisonment.

The 39-year-old Ravshan Khoushvakhtov, who was just released from prison under an amnesty law (he was serving his 17-year jai term for drug trafficking), and Yusuf Avliyoqulov were detained on July 22, 2007 on suspicion of having burnt dead body of alleged drug courier.  

Khoushvakhtov and Nourali Asrorov, the former officer of the State Committee for National Security, on July 9 prepared 100 wraps of heroin totaling 400 grams and Asrorov was supposed to internally smuggle them into Russia.  But Asrorov died when several wraps of drugs he ingested burst.  In order to extract the wraps Khoushvakhtov and his relative Yusuf Avliyoqulov, who was also released from prison in 2006 under the amnesty law (he was serving his sentence for murder attempt), disemboweled Asrorov’s body, and then to cover up the traces they dismembered and burned the body.

The Kulob prosecutor’s office did not agree with sentences passed on them and appealed to the Supreme Court.     

Following ruling handed down by the Supreme Court, the Kulob court recently reconsidered the criminal proceedings and ruled that Khoushvakhtov and Yormadov be given extended jail terms.  Khoushvakhtov and Yormadov were sentenced to 28 years and 27 years in prison respectively.