Uzbek man sentenced to 40 life sentences in Turkey

The Turkish Supreme Court has upheld the 40-life sentence initially handed down in 2020 to Abdulkadir Masharipov, the perpetrator of the 2017 terrorist attack at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul. After reviewing Masharipov's petitions, the court ruled that the sentence was lawful, CNN Turk reported.

Masharipov was convicted of 39 premeditated murders and 79 attempted murders. In September 2020, the court sentenced him to 40 aggravated life sentences, one for each of the murders, in addition to 1,368 years in prison. The Supreme Court also reviewed appeals from 31 other individuals convicted in connection with the terrorist attack, confirming their sentences.

The terrorist attack occurred on the night of January 1, 2017, at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul’s Ortakoy district. The attack resulted in 39 fatalities, including 16 foreign nationals. The victims hailed from Russia, Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Libya, and Israel.

Abdulkadir Masharipov, a citizen of Uzbekistan, was arrested shortly after the attack in Istanbul. The Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack.

Additionally, earlier reports indicated that in the Osh region of Kyrgyzstan, a 28-year-old Uzbek citizen was arrested for allegedly preparing and distributing extremist materials through social media. The materials, linked to ISIS, were found on the individual’s TikTok and Instagram accounts.