DUSHANBE, March 31, 2012, Asia-Plus  -- Defendants have told a court they were tortured after being detained four months ago.

The trial of Bakhtiyor Qahhorov, Iskandar Murtazoyev and Umedjon Mirzoyev is being carried out in a court in Dushanbe’s Shohmansour district.

They were detained on suspicion of theft on November 30, 2011.

The defendants said on March 30 that they were beaten while detained.  According to defendants, the officers used beating and electric shock during interrogations to coerce a confession from them.  Qahhorov, Murtazoyev and Mirzoyev said they were forced to sign a confession that was dictated.

Officers from the police station in Dushanbe’s Shohmansour district Nekrouz Saidov and Muhiddin Ibrohimov detained them.  The officers were summoned to attend the court as witnesses.  They denied the accusations as unfounded and claimed the defendants testified voluntarily and nobody beat them.

Meanwhile, Mirzoyev’s defense lawyer Abubakr Qulmatov lodged an application to the court for independent forensic medical examination of his client because “signs of the use of electric shock remained on hands Mirzoyev’s hands.”

The trial will continue on April 3.