Thursday, May 03, 2012 -
A Tajik court convicted on Thursday a 16-year-old in the murder of Parviz Davlatbekov, who was killed while wearing a Santa Claus costume on New Year’s Eve.
Behrouz Sharipov will spend the next ten years in prison, the AsiaPlus.tj news agency reported.
The majority of this time will be spent in juvenile detention.
The other three defendants were also convicted in the murder, and will each serve four years behind bars.
Sharipov’s lawyer said he will appeal the verdict.
Davlatbekov was walking to visit relatives on New Year’s Eve when he was approached by one of the defendants in the Tajik capital Dushanbe, a witness said at the trial.
The defendant, Farrukh Samiev, demanded a gift from Davlatbekov, who with his cousin rushed to enter the lobby of an apartment building, and they were set upon by a crowd.
Davlatbekov was stabbed and never regained consciousness. He died on January 1.