Blogger sentenced to 10 years in prison

Pamir activist and blogger Komer Mirzoev has been sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of participating in a criminal group.

Photo: Internet

According to journalist Anora Sarkorova, a court in Dushanbe sentenced Pamir volunteer and blogger Komer Mirzoev to 10 years in prison. This was reported to the relatives of 34-year-old Komer Mirzoev by his lawyer.

Official representatives declined to comment. The family of the convicted volunteer does not know when the trial took place, where it was held, or what exactly Mirzoev was accused of.

Komer Mirzoev was abducted by Tajik security forces in Moscow on September 7 of this year right outside the Maryino detention center, where he was taken on September 5 by Russian law enforcement officials at the request of the Tajik Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The Lefortovo inter-district prosecutor’s office in Moscow ordered the release of Komer Mirzoev, who had been placed on an international wanted list by Tajik authorities. Immediately after his release, he disappeared in Moscow and reappeared in Dushanbe.

It has been reported that a criminal case has been opened against the Pamir activist in Tajikistan under Article 187, Part 2 (Participation in a criminal community (criminal organization)).

Komer Mirzoev is a native of Khorog, a public activist and blogger, engaged in volunteer activities and involved in social projects to assist vulnerable populations.

He was not a participant in the protests in Khorog in November 2021 and in May of this year. He did not make any political statements regarding events in GBAO.

The detention and sentencing of the blogger occur within the framework of mass arrests of GBAO natives who had any public influence. Previously, dozens of civil society activists, human rights defenders, bloggers, and journalists have been detained.