Tajik national has got a jail term of 20 years for killing Russian serviceman.

The Khatlon regional court sentenced resident of the city of Qurghon Teppa, Ahliddin Mashrabov, 24, to 20 years in prison on October 24.

The sentence followed his conviction on charges of murder (Article 104 (2) of Tajikistan’s Penal Code) and hooliganism (Article 237 (3) of Tajikistan’s Penal Code).

The trial of Ahliddin Mashrabov began on October 13.

As it had been reported earlier, a 40-year-old Aleksey Buyenkov, senior sergeant with the Russian military base deployed in Tajikistan, was stabbed to death at “Karina” Restaurant in Qurghon Teppa in the night of July 31 following quarrel with local resident Ahliddin Mashrabov.

“Mashrabov being in a state of drunkenness came into conflict with two Russian servicemen.  His friends tried to calm him down but Mashrabov got angry even more and inflicted stab wounds on Buyenkov and one of local residents.  They were taken to hospital, where Buyenkov died of blood loss,” Judge Faridoun Dodomatzoda told Asia-Plus in an interview.

“Karina” Restaurant is considered one of favorite places of servicemen of the Russian base’s facility deployed in Qurghon Teppa and they usually gather there on weekends.

The Russian military base deployed in Tajikistan is Russia''s largest non-naval military facility outside the country.  It was officially opened in Tajikistan in 2004 under a previous agreement, which was signed in 1993, and hosts Russia’s largest military contingent deployed abroad.

A total of some 7,000 Russian troops are now stationed at two military facilities collectively known as the 201st military base - in Dushanbe and Qurghon Teppa, some 100 kilometers from Dushanbe.

Under an agreement signed in October 2012, Russian troops are allowed to remain stationed in Tajikistan until 2042.