The wife and son of Mahmadali Khait have appealed for help to international organizations

They fear that something bad has happened to Mahmadali Khait, and therefore the authorities are refusing to meet with them in every possible way.

Photo: Internet

Savriniso Dzhurabekova and Firuzi Mahmadali, the wife and son of the deputy chairman of the PIVT sentenced to life imprisonment Mahmadali Khait, have appealed to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the OSCE, and other international organizations for assistance in obtaining information about the head of the family.

Full text of the appeal from the wife and son of the political prisoner

To the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

To the UNODC office in Tajikistan

To the International Committee of the Red Cross in Tajikistan

To the OSCE, OSCE Office in Tajikistan

Freedom Now

Hogan Lovells

Human Rights Watch

Norwegian Helsinki Committee

Civil Rights Defender

Coalition of Civil Society Against Torture and Impunity in Tajikistan

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on behalf of the wife and son of Tajik political prisoner Khait Mahmadali Rakhmonovich,

Dzhurabekova S. and Firuzi Mahmadali

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​​ A P P E A L

First of all, allow us to express our recognition and deep gratitude for your involvement in the fate of Mahmadali Khait. We are very grateful to you for the work you have done in highlighting his case, for the numerous appeals and advocacy for his rights and freedoms. We hope that your efforts will not be in vain and that justice will soon prevail and Mahmadali Khait will be free.

The reason for our appeal to you is that we have had no information about the health and life of Mahmadali Khait for more than seven months. According to Tajikistan’s legislation, we have the right to visit Mahmadali Khait only once every six months. The last time we saw him was in May of last year. Our next meeting was supposed to take place on November 24, 2021. However, unfortunately, on that day we were told that there would be no meeting with the prisoner Mahmadali Khait because he was punished. The prison staff, as well as the leaders of the GUIN of the Ministry of Justice of the RT, could not clearly and reasonably explain to us why we were denied the next legally provided meeting. We have repeatedly appealed verbally and in writing to the head of GUIN Mansurjon Umarov, the Ombudsman of Tajikistan Umed Bobozoda, and the General Prosecutor’s Office, and tried to get answers to questions regarding the violation he committed, about his health status, whether he is alive or not. So far, we have received no responses. Only a letter from the Ombudsman’s office stated that our appeal was forwarded to the General Prosecutor’s Office.

Thus, for more than seven months we have had no information about Mahmadali Khait. During the last visit, Mahmadali Khait complained about his health and said that he was deliberately placed in the same cell with a rapist and a murderer, who systematically provokes various conflicts with him. Mahmadali Khait appealed to the prison administration to transfer him to another cell, as he fears for his life and health. The prison administration rejected his request.

The silence of the authorities, the excuses of the prison staff and GUIN of the RT, the refusal of the meeting, and Mahmadali Khait’s fear that something may happen to him in the near future generate anxiety about his true condition in the prison. It is well known that the penitentiary system of Tajikistan is the most closed, secretive, and torturous system in the country. No true information about what is happening inside can be obtained, access for human rights defenders and journalists is strictly limited. We fear that something bad has happened to Mahmadali Khait, and therefore the authorities are refusing to meet with us.

You all know very well that the case of Mahmadali Khait is politically motivated. It was through your efforts that the UN Human Rights Committee adopted a resolution regarding Mahmadali Khait. Although the authorities of Tajikistan still do not recognize the power of this document and do not intend to comply with its requirements, we hope that you will not cease to remind and demand strict compliance with the provisions of this decision.

With this appeal, we ask you to assist in obtaining any reliable and verifiable information about the situation of Mahmadali Khait. As we mentioned above, the authorities do not respond to our appeals and requests in any way. We are confident that only your intervention and demand will serve as a reason for us to be allowed to see him and confirm that he is alive and healthy.

Once again, we thank you for what you have done for us and Mahmadali Khait.

Sincerely

Dzhurabekova Savriniso

Firuzi Mahmadali