Sentences for five Tajik nationals in the case of creating and participating in a terrorist community

A court in Yekaterinburg has sentenced five Tajik nationals for creating a terrorist community and participating in it (Article 205.4 of the Criminal Code). This was reported by It’s My City.

Sanginmurod Musofirov and Abubakr Sangcharov were found guilty of creating a terrorist community and recruiting people into it. Musofirov received a 24-year prison sentence, while Sangcharov was sentenced to 25 years. They will spend the first five years in prison, with the remainder of their sentences in a high-security colony.

The other three defendants in the case were charged with participating in a terrorist community. Anvarsho Avezov was sentenced to 18 years in prison, Nurali Dustov to 17 years, and Shahromdzhon Musofirov to 16 years. Each of them must also pay a fine of 350,000 rubles.

According to data from Baza, Sangcharov is a citizen of Russia, while the other defendants are citizens of Tajikistan. URA.RU reports that all five convicted individuals hold Tajik citizenship.

In 2021, media reported the arrest of 15 migrants from Tajikistan during an operation by Russian security services. Three months later, 10 of those detained were deported, while five were arrested. The FSB of Russia claimed that they intended to create a “Taliban” cell in Yekaterinburg and were involved in recruiting other members. The main goal of the security services was said to be carrying out terrorist attacks “against non-believers.” A source from It’s My City in the law enforcement agencies stated that they have no connection to the “Taliban.”

In the headquarters of the cell – an apartment in Yekaterinburg – the participants allegedly held meetings and made explosives, which were packaged and stored at various addresses. No evidence of this, other than references to the security forces, was provided by the media.

Relatives of the detainees called the charges fabricated and unfounded. They stated that the defendants are not terrorists but came to Russia to earn a living, and did so “not out of a good life.” “They were tortured and forced to ‘confess’ to creating a terrorist community. We were not allowed to call them, hire lawyers, or get a translator. We spent a whole year trying to get permission for a visit or a phone call. It was useless. We contacted the FSB of Russia several times. There are many violations in the criminal case,” Azismurod Musofirov said earlier.