DUSHANBE, July 30, 2014 Asia-Plus -- Head of the Islamic Revival Party (IRP)’s organization for the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), Saodatsho Adolatov, has got a jail term of five years for inciting religious enmity among his fellow villagers in the Yazgulom jamoat in the Vanj district, GBAO.

A court in the Vanj district of the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region sentenced Saodatsho Adolatov to five years in prison on July 30.  The sentence followed his conviction on charges of incitement of religious enmity (Article 189 of Tajikistan’s Penal Code).

“Some 120 people gathered outside the court building asking to award a fair sentence to Saodatsho Adolatov,” representative of the IRP in the Vanj district Zavqibek Rahmonov told Asia-plus in an interview.  “We did not want to violate the legislation norms, we just wanted a fair sentence for Saodatsho Adolatov”, Rahmonov said.

According to him, a prosecutor in the trial of Saodatsho Adolatov asked the court to sentence Adolatov to an eight-year prison term.

We will recall that Saodatsho Adolatov was arrested on April 14 on suspicion of inciting religious enmity among his fellow villagers.

According to the statement released by the State Committee for National Security (SCNS), Adolatov, 40, has repeatedly insulted his fellow villagers and created an atmosphere of hate towards each other.  30 residents of the Yazgulom jamoat have reportedly applied to relevant agencies over illegal actions of Saodatsho Adolatov.

We will recall that Saodatsho Adolatov headed IRP’s organization in Gorno Badakhshan in August 2013.