Rights Court Urges Russia Not To Extradite Tajik

Ismon Azimov

The European Court of Human Rights has urged Russia not to extradite to Dushanbe a Tajik citizen facing religious extremism charges.

The court said on April 18 that sending Ismon Azimov to Tajikistan would subject him to the risk of ill-treatment.

Amnesty International has said Tajikistan routinely subjects prisoners to extreme abuse, including torture.

Azimov is accused of being a member of the banned Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).

Tajik prosecutors also have charged Azimov with plotting an attack on a provincial police headquarters in the northern city of Khujand, which killed four people in March 2010.

Azimov denies the charges.

He was arrested in Russia in 2010 at Tajikistan’s request.

A Russian court has ruled in favor of Azimov’s extradition to Tajikistan.