No one has beaten the 12 year-old teenager, - says the office of the SCNS in Dushanbe

The press center of the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) states that nobody beat the 12-year-old Nusratullo Yoqubov.

A statement released by the SCNS press center notes that indeed, thee teenager was taken to the SCNS’s office in Dushanbe but nobody beat him.

The 33-year-old Abdurahmon Abdujalol (formerly known as Khurshed Jalolovich Jalilov) was reportedly arrested on August 25 on suspicion of membership in the outlawed religious extremist Hizb ut-Tahrir group.  He reportedly has the rank of “amir.”

Nusratullo Yoqubov was with him, the statement said.  The teen was reportedly taken to the SCNS’s office in Dushanbe after several men were detained in Dushanbe on suspicion of membership in the Hizb ut-Tahrir group.  Subversive literature and leaflets were confiscated from them.

The boy reportedly spent overnight in the SCNS’s office because his mother was not in Dushanbe on that day.  “Nobody interrogated or beat him because there was no use in that.  All material evidences were confiscated.  On the next day, the boy was sent to his relative in the Roudaki district.”

According to the statement, the boy was involved in the extremist activity of the Hizb ut-Tahrir by his parents.  “His father, Sharifjon Yoqubov, former amir of the Hizb ut-Tahrir party for Tajikistan, was sentenced to twenty years in prison last year.  Under the amnesty, his jail term was reduced to eighteen years; Sharifjon Yoqubov however, continued guiding his members from the jail.”

“According to information received, by order from his farther, Nusratullo Yoqubov (in their Hizb ut-Tahrir cell he was known as “Nabi” and “Jonibek”) established ties with the party members who were at large and wives of the jailed party members through e-mail.  He was also engaged in delivering money to them and Abdurahmon Abdujalol was controlling the money deliveries.  Using the fact that his son is underage, Sharifjon Yoqubov was transmitting instructions to his confederates through him.”

The preliminary investigation has reportedly established that Abdurahmon Abdujalol received $5,000 twice from Sheikh Ata Abu Rashta (the full name Sheikh Abu Yasin Ata ibn Khalil ibn Ahmad ibn Abdul Qadir al-Khatib Abu Rashta), the global leader of the Hizb ut-Tahrir party.  These funds have been used to intensify the party activities, recruiting new members and supporting families of the jailed members of the group.

“The remittances were addressed to Farangis Yoqubova, the elder sister of Nusratullo, and she together with her mother and her brother were engaged in distributing these funds to the Hizb ut-Tahrir members.  Farangis Yoqubova and Nusratullo Yoqubov were taken to the SCNS’s office in Dushanbe, where they gave testimony in the presence of their mother.  The children were let go on the same day.”

Tajik law enforcement authorities reportedly instituted criminal proceedings against Nusratullo’s mother last year but she was released under amnesty.   

“The Hizb ut-Tahrir members have a hard-ass way of getting what they want.  They involve their children and younger bothers and sisters in their activities.  In one of his electronic letters from the jail, Sharifjon Yoqubov called on his confederates to involve 10-12-year-old children in the party activities,” the statement said.

We will recall that Ms. Inobat Yoqubova from Dushanbe told Asia-Plus on November 20 that officers from the SCNS’s office in Dushanbe used beating to extort a testimony from her 12-year-old son against his Arabic language tutor and another man who are suspected of active membership in the outlawed religious extremist Hizb ut-Tahrir group.

According to her, the incident took place on August 25 this year.  She says her son was in the house of is tutor on that day, when security officers entered the house and took the tutor and his acquaintance.  “They also took my son and held him in SCNS’s office in Dushanbe until August 28,” said the woman.  “When he returned home there were scratches and bruises on his face and body.  He said the security officer beat him.  He demanded that my son say that his tutor was engaged in distributing the subversive leaflets and was taking money for lessons.  To escape further beating my son was forced to obey.”

In a month after the incident, the security officer reportedly came to their house again and took her son and a 17-year-old daughter to the SCNS’s office in Dushanbe.  “He held them there for two days demanding that they give false testimony against the tutor,” said Yoqubova.  “He also demanded that my daughter say that we allegedly gave 5,000 US dollars to him [tutor].”

Ms. Yoqubova added that when she lodged a complaint to the Prosecutor-General’ Office, it did not launch an investigation into the incident but just sent her complaint to the SCNS.  “The SCNS investigator summoned me and threatened that if I do not call back my complaint, he will send my son to the special detention center and my daughter to a jail,” said Inobat Yoqubova.  “Because of fear for my children I called back my complaint.”

Meanwhile, Shuhrat Qodirov, the defense lawyer of the injured party, says he has applied to the Prosecutor-General’s Office wit solicitation to institute criminal proceedings against the security officers who conducted a number of illegal activities.