Tajik civil activist, deported from Russia and arrested in Tajikistan, has been released. Photo: Internet Tajik civil activist Said Shams, who was expelled from Russia and placed in custody in Tajikistan, was released from pre-trial detention on January 21 of this year. After his release, the 59-year-old activist traveled to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage (Umrah). […]
Tajik civil activist, deported from Russia and arrested in Tajikistan, has been released.
Photo: InternetTajik civil activist Said Shams, who was expelled from Russia and placed in custody in Tajikistan, was released from pre-trial detention on January 21 of this year.
After his release, the 59-year-old activist traveled to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage (Umrah). He first made headlines by posting several photos of himself next to the Kaaba in Mecca.
Previously, this civil activist criticized the current authorities of Tajikistan on his Facebook page on various issues and called for serious reforms in the state structure and an uncompromising fight against corruption in Tajikistan.
Said Shams was detained in Russia in August 2022. In November of last year, Russian authorities revoked the activist’s residence permit and deported him to his homeland.
Said Shams had previously faced persecution from Russian law enforcement agencies. He was detained several times, including in 2019 and early 2022. It was reported that the Federal Security Service (FSB) accused him of violating Russian legislation when obtaining a residence permit in the country.
Earlier, Russian authorities also stripped other Tajik activists of their Russian citizenship, including Karamat Sharipov and Izzat Amon, as well as individuals from the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, and deported them to Tajikistan. In Tajikistan, they were sentenced to long prison terms.