Tajik police unable to detect 25 escaped prisoners.

30/8 Tass 105

DUSHANBE, August 30 (Itar-Tass) - Twenty-five inmates who escaped from
a remand prison of Tajikistan's State National Security Committee (GKNB)
are still at large, a Tajik secret service officer told Itar-Tass on
Monday.
"Our law-enforcers have combed each meter of the places where the
escaped criminals might have hidden, but they seem to have vanished," he
said.
The prison break from the maximum security penitentiary became the
main sensation in the local media, but at the same time, journalists
raised many questions. For example, it was not clear why the list of the
"state criminals" was only published two days after the escape, if the
official reports promptly indicated that 25 inmates had fled.
They attacked the guards at 22:30 in the evening, and left the
building of the remand prison three hours later, according to Tajik secret
services. "What were they doing inside the prison for such a long time,
without fearing to be found?," the local media asked.
And lastly, the local media outlets are wondering how many inmates
have fled in all, if the escapees opened all the cells.
Last week, the republic's law-enforcement bodies only issued a brief
statement carried by the Khovar government news agency. A Tajik rights
activist told Tass that "incomplete information is more dangerous than its
absence."
"Information vacuum generates a wealth of conjectures, sometimes
absolutely fantastic ones," he added.
All the escapees were members of an anti-government group led by
former Minister of Emergency Situations Mirzo Ziyev.
During the Civil War in Tajikistan he led units of armed Islamic
opposition. After the peace agreement in Moscow in 1997, Ziyev received a
Cabinet position within the framework of the 30-percent quota for the
Opposition. Three years ago, Tajik leader Emomali Rakhmon dismissed him
without giving any reasons. Ziyev returned to this native Tavildara
district.
In interviews to local and foreign media, he repeatedly stated he
harbored no ill feelings and that he planned to start growing vine crops.
But Tajik security service said the former Opposition activist set up
an anti-government group which comprised former militants and mercenaries,
and prepared to confront Dushanbe.
In the summer of 2009, the Tajik authorities sent large
law-enforcement units to the region under the pretext to carry out the
Mak-2010 operation in Tavildara. During the clashes, ten militants were
killed, including Ziyev, and more than 40 were arrested. Among the
detainees were five Russian citizens, all natives of the North Caucasus.
The rebels were given long prison terms, from ten to 30 years.
They joined the escapees during the prison break overnight to August
23.
Earlier, Tajik police asked the population to help them track down the
25 criminals and placed the fugitives' photos on the website of the
government news agency Khovar.
Tajikistan's State National Security Committee said in a statement
that "taking advantage of the guards' negligence, a group of inmates
numbering 25, escaped from the remand prison which reportedly has the
tightest security in the republic. In the course of the shootout, six
interior troops servicemen were killed with the weapons seized by the
criminals."
The escapees then changed into military uniforms, commandeered a
vehicle and fled Dushanbe.
Reports named four natives of Dagestan among the escapees: Magomed
Akhmedov, Mirzomen Abiyev, Kazbek Dzhabrailov and Gusein Suleimanov.
First Deputy Chairman of the State National Security Committee (GKNB)
Kasim Gafarov told reporters last week that Magomed Akhmedov was one of
the three masterminds behind the prison break.
Russian Ambassador to Tajikistan Yuri Popov confirmed to Tass that
Russian citizens were among the escapees.
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