Life sentence for Tajik killer of Swiss cyclist

The central Asian republic of Tajikistan has a Sunni majority and the government has made it a priority to combat religious extremism. Keystone

A court in Tajikistan has sentenced to life imprisonment a man found guilty of killing four western tourists, including a Swiss citizen in July.

A representative of the Tajik supreme court told the French news agency, AFP, that the judge handed down the verdict on Wednesday. The decision was reached following a four-week trial behind closed doors at a high security prison.

The Swiss victim, part of a cycling group, was one of four people killed when a car intentionally ploughed into them. A Swiss woman was injured by assailants in the car armed with knives and guns.

The Tajik man awarded the maximum life sentence for the attack was also found guilty of belonging to a banned Islamic opposition group – the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan – allegations rejected by the political party.

However, the extremist Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack on the tourists in a video message.

Fifteen other suspects were also condemned for being members of a criminal group and extremist organisation or for failing to provide information to prevent the killings.

Switzerland’s Office of the Attorney General has also opened an investigation into the case.

Tajik security forces killed four other suspected Islamists following their attack on a group of six cyclists – four of whom died – on the Pamir Highway outside the capital, Dushanbe.

 + Read here for more details of the attack