Teen reportedly beaten in SCNS’s office in Dushanbe

Security officers have reportedly used beating to extort a testimony from a 12-year-old teenager against persons suspected of extremism.

Ms. Inobat Yoqubova from Dushanbe told Asia-Plus Tuesday (November 20) afternoon that officers from the State Committee for National Security (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 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.