On December 28, Tajikistan's courts sentenced 5 men...

On December 28, Tajikistan's courts sentenced 5 men to death and several to jail for their role in a foiled military coup. The men were found to have participated in a coup attempt led by Col. Mahmud Khudoyberdiyev in the northern Leninabad province in November 1998. The rebellion was put down 3 days later, though Khudoyberdiyev escaped to a neighboring country. The first trial began in Hodzhent, 220km north of Dushanbe, in Khatlon Province, where 18 men were tried for terrorist acts during the coup. Three leaders, Mahmud Najmiddinov, Abdumannon Kholmuminov and Jurabek Ravshanov, were sentenced to death and 10 received jail terms of up to 19 years. They were involved in acts of terrorism, under approximately 10 articles of the Criminal Code. When Khudoyberdiyev's mutiny was suppressed, 114 government troops were killed and 431 wounded. On the side of the rebels, 220 were killed and 215 wounded, and 75 were missing in action. Some 170 civilians were also injured. The total damage done to the regional economy exceeded $5 million. In the second trial, held in Leninabad in Khujand, 35 people were tried. Two of them were given the death penalty while the rest were sentenced to jail terms ranging from 9 to 21 years. The men were tried on charges of treason, terrorism and arms smuggling. They have the right to appeal.