DUSHANBE -- A Tajik fugitive accused of belonging to the banned Muslim Brotherhood recently returned to Tajikistan after hearing he might receive amnesty, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)'s Tajik service reported July 7, quoting the country's law enforcement.
The Muslim Brotherhood has been banned since 2006 in Tajikistan.
Orifjon Ergashev, a Khujand imam, fled the country after the arrests of six accused Muslim Brotherhood members four months ago but returned after repenting and after hearing that he might be pardoned if he returned, a source in Sughd Province police told RFE/RL.
Ergashev spent his time abroad in Dubai and another country, the source said.
If authorities learn that Ergashev had no criminal past, he will be freed, a source in the provincial prosecutor's office told RFE/RL. He has confessed to investigators that he joined the Muslim Brotherhood during his years of study abroad, 1993-2001, RFE/RL reported.
