Three extremism suspects held in Tajikistan
DUSHANBE. Oct 17 (Interfax) - Three persons accused of being members of the outlawed Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) have been detained in Sughd Province in northern Tajikistan, the Tajik Interior Ministry's regional department for the fight against organized crime said in a press release on Thursday.
One of the suspects was arrested at Khujand International Airport immediately upon arrival from Russia, it said.
"Three citizens of Tajikistan have been detained over the past 24 hours: two of them, both born in 1983, were detained on the territory of the Asht district [located 420 kilometers northeast of the capital Dushanbe], and the third one, born in 1986, was arrested after arriving at Khujand Airport from one of Russia's cities," according to the press release.
The three face charges of establishing a criminal community and participating in it, an offence that carries up to 12 years in prison and the confiscation of one's property.
The Asht region is located in the Tajik part of the Fergana Valley, which Tajikistan shares with Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. The Fergana Vallery is reckoned to be a stronghold of different extremist movements active in Central Asia.
IMU, established in 1996, has been recognized by Russia, Central Asian countries and the United States as a terrorist organization.
Several dozen people are detained in Tajikistan every year for their affiliation with IMU.
The Tajik authorities said in September that eight suspected IMU members had been detained and charged with preparing to stage a series of terrorist attacks in Dushanbe on November 6, when Tajikistan is expected to hold a presidential election.
