JAKARTA - A military court in Uzbekistan sentenced 10 defendants to prison for the attempted murder of a former presidential spokesman.
The failed attack on the car of former presidential spokesman Komil Alamjonov in October last year sparked rumors of a seizure of power in the country of 37 million people, amid minimal information from authorities.
The Supreme Court's statement stated that only five of the 10 defendants were sentenced to prison between seven and 23 years.
Reported by Reuters on Wednesday, February 12, senior security officers and top officials of the interior ministry were among those sentenced.
The statement did not explain why Alamjonov was the target or who was behind the plan.
Uzbekistan gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Its current president Shavkat Mirziyoyev replaces Islamic President Karimov, who has long served after his death in 2016 and positioned himself as a reformist, opened up his economy to the outside world and reduced some of the strict political controls committed by his predecessor.
A few weeks before the assassination attempt, Alamjonov, a political figure with close ties to the president's family, announced he was leaving his post to enter the business world.
A month after the incident, Mirziyoyev sacked defense ministers, heads of the State Security Service, and several high-ranking officials, who by several media Uzbekistan were linked to the assassination attempt against Alamjonov.
The case also drew attention in Russia after the Uzbekistan authorities issued an arrest warrant for two Russians from Chechen origin, and the independent media of Uzbekistan stated Russia's influential territory may be involved.
In comments on his Telegram channel, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov denied involvement in the case, saying: "If I plan it, I will finish it."
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