Uzbekistan has detained a returnee with United States citizenship, Zokir Aliyev, aka Solokhiddin, who on a state security wanted list since 2005 over his affiliation with the militant movement Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU). The detainee fully admitted his guilt and hopes he will be pardoned by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the Russian News Agency Zond News reported citing a source in the law enforcement agencies.
The detention of an IMU supporter by Uzbekistan's law enforcement agencies could have gone virtually unnoticed in the media, if not for the US citizenship received by Zokir Aliyev in 2014. In the United States, According to the Fiery Hearts Club human rights organization, based in Paris, Zokir Aliyev owns a private company that provides tax and accounting services in Virginia. the U.S. In addition, he is a businessman. Aliyev came to his homeland at the invitation of his relatives living in the Chirakchi district of the Qashqadaryo region. The invitation was approved by the Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the basis of which Aliyev was granted a 90-day visa at the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Washington. According to relatives, Zokir Aliyev had nothing in common with the IMU. He graduated in Turkey and after relations between Turkey and Uzbekistan deteriorated in 1999, Aliyev left for the US and legally obtained its citizenship.
Zokir Aliyev decided to arrive in Uzbekistan after President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, speaking at a meeting with compatriots living in the US during his visit to Washington, invited them to return to their homeland, and even promised to solve the issue of housing and work for them. "I invite all the compatriots living abroad who wish to contribute to the development of our country back to Uzbekistan. I am ready to support them and to stimulate [such co-operation] in every way," Mirziyoyev said at the meeting with his compatriots.
A source in the Uzbek law enforcement agency told Zond that the case was initiated against Aliyev under articles 155, 159, 223 and 244-2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan in 2005. It is about 20 years in prison. From that point he has been on an international criminal database, on this basis he was detained. "During the interrogation, Aliyev admitted his unlawful activities," the source said. According to him, in 1992, Aliyev went to Bursa, Turkey, to receive higher education, where he propagated among young people from Uzbekistan the idea of establishing a single theocratic state in the countries of Central Asia - the so-called caliphate, the source said. According to him, in 2000 he traveled through Iran to Afghanistan, where he joined the IMU international terrorist organization and was nicknamed Solokhiddin. He guarded the prisoners in zindans, who tried to leave the ranks of the terrorists. He also participated in military operations against Afghan government forces and coalition forces. In 2002, during the fighting in Afghanistan, Aliyev was shot in his left leg (walks with a limp), after which he was treated in a medical facility for members of the IMU. Due to poor health, he asked leaders of the terrorist organization to allow him to go to Turkey. Instead, he was tasked with recruiting new members, to which Aliyev agreed. Before arriving in Turkey, Aliyev was issued a fake Afghan passport in the name of Nasriddin Olam, 6 thousand dollars for treatment and the air ticket for route Kabul-Istanbul. In Istanbul, he was treated at the Zeytinburnu hospital, where other members of the IMU were also treated. At the same time, Zokir Aliyev worked on the issue of his status and soon received refugee status in the Ankara Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and left for the US. In Las Vegas, Nevada, he got cashier job at the Excalibur hotel. In March 2013, he applied to the US Immigration Department and in September 2014 received the citizenship of this country.
A source in law enforcement agencies of Uzbekistan claims that Aliyev did not ask the president of Uzbekistan for pardon and the opportunity to return to his homeland. "He returned to Uzbekistan arbitrarily," the source said. He clarified that the decision to pardon can only be made by the head of state. This decision allows to fully or partially release the convict from punishment or replace the sentence by a lighter one.
By the way, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev pardoned 226 people recently in connection with the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. Some of them were completely released from punishment, sentences of some of them were replaced by lighter ones.
The US Embassy in Uzbekistan has not commented on the detention of its citizen. According to some media reports, it is intended to send its representative to Karshi to study the circumstances of Zokir Aliyev's arrest.
