DUSHANBE, September 24, 2010, Asia-Plus  – The European Court of Human Rights secured the claim of former chairman of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan (DPT) Mahmadruzi Iskandarov against Russian authorities.

According to Iskandarov’s lawyers, the lawsuit was filed over Russian law enforcement authorities’ support for detention of Iskandarov in Russia.  Mahmadruzi Iskandarov claims that he was abducted by Tajik security forces in the Russian city of Korolyov on April 16, 2005 and illegally transferred to Tajikistan on April 22, 2005.

The European Court of Human Rights established that Russian law enforcement authorities violated rights of Tajik national, contributing to illegal extradition of him to Tajikistan.  The court ordered Russian law enforcement authorities to pay 30,000 euros to Iskandarov for moral damage and 3,000 euros for legal costs.

Mahmadruzi Iskandarov was arrested in Dushanbe in April 2005 after he was transferred from Russia to Tajikistan under mysterious circumstances.       

On October 5, 2005, the Supreme Court of Tajikistan sentenced Mahmadruzi Iskandarov to 23 years in prison.  The sentence followed his conviction on charges of terrorism, the embezzlement of state funds, and the illegal storage of weapons. The court also imposed a 1.5 million-somoni ($470,000) fine and stripped Iskandarov of all previous state honors and awards, including revoking his rank of Major-General.