NATO condemned the sentence of Shokhida Mahmadjonova

The National Alliance of Tajikistan, in its statement, called on civil society and international human rights organizations not to remain silent in the face of this outrageous lawlessness and violation of human rights.

Photo: Internet

The coalition of opposition groups from Tajikistan abroad condemned the court sentence depriving Shohida Mahmadjonova of her freedom for 6 years, calling it an outrageous illegal act that violates the laws and Constitution of Tajikistan, as well as international conventions signed by Tajikistan.

The National Alliance urged civil society in Tajikistan, especially the intelligentsia and women, not to remain silent in the face of this outrageous lawlessness and violation of human rights, when a mother is punished for the actions of her adult son, who lives separately. Such absurd accusations could be made against anyone tomorrow.

“The court’s sentence of imprisonment for likes and comments in support of opposition media contradicts not only the Constitution of Tajikistan but also international norms. Such a court ruling makes Tajikistan a zone of lawlessness and silence,” the statement noted.

The National Alliance also called on international human rights organizations, especially those protecting women’s rights and freedoms, to make every possible effort to secure the release of Shohida Mahmadjonova.

Earlier, the Civil Committee for the Protection of Political Prisoners and Detainees in Tajikistan also condemned the imprisonment of a mother for the actions of her adult son as a gross violation of human rights in Tajikistan and demanded her immediate release.

On April 7, the court of the Ismoili Somoni district of Dushanbe sentenced Shohida Mahmadjonova to 6 years in a penal colony. She was found guilty of extremism. According to the state prosecutor, she posted comments on YouTube under videos of her son and the video “Isloh+”, which “were directed against the constitutional order of Tajikistan.”

Sherzod Mahmadjonov, a Tajik blogger living in Germany and known by the nickname “Abdurakhmon 09,” previously told Azda TV that on February 2, police officers in Vahdat summoned his mother Shohida Mahmadjonova to the station to retrieve her mobile phone, which was in the possession of the officers. On February 3, his mother went to the organized crime department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Vahdat and went missing. Later, on February 8, under pressure from civil society and human rights groups, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan was forced to admit that she had been detained, but her relatives were still not allowed to see Mahmadjonova.