Following Kholikzoda, the director of the publishing house “Er Graf” has been detained

Following the owner of the capital clinic “Ibni Sino,” Abduhalil Kholikzoda, law enforcement agencies in Tajikistan detained the owner of the publishing company “Er Graf.”

His relatives say that since the moment of his detention, they have not been able to see him.

A source from Dushanbe, who wished to remain anonymous, told Azda TV that the general director of the publishing company “Er Graf” was detained a day after Abduhalil Kholikzoda was arrested, the author of the controversial book “Havodisi ruzgori man.” According to the source, the book was published by this publishing house, and his detention is likely related to this.

The source reported that his relatives are not saying anything about his detention. However, according to him, the general director of the publishing company had previously been summoned for questioning by law enforcement officers twice and was released.

“However, a day after Abduhalil Kholikzoda was detained, he was summoned for questioning again, and since then, no one has seen him at his workplace, that is, at the publishing company,” the source noted.

Attempts by Azda TV to contact the publishing house were unsuccessful. The director’s phone number was “unavailable.”

Our source noted that this publishing house is a family business, managed by several brothers, and has recently been considered successful and continuously developing.

Sources familiar with the situation believe that although the reason for the detention of the general director of the publishing company “Er Graf” is the publication of the book “Havodisi ruzgori man,” the real reason lies in eliminating this successful company, a major competitor of the publishing house “Nashriyoti muosir,” owned by the son-in-law of Emomali Rahmon.

In 2020, the government of the country decided to publish 1.6 million copies of the book “Tajiks” by Bobojon Gafurov and distribute them for free among the residents. A total of 136 million somoni was allocated from the state budget for the publication of the book.

In February 2020, the Agency for State Procurement of Goods, Works, and Services under the Government of Tajikistan, chaired by Zainullo Sharifzoda, the brother of Shamsullo Sokhibov, the son-in-law of President Rahmon, announced an open tender among publishing companies.

Three private companies submitted bids to participate in the tender — “Nashriyoti muosir,” “Er Graf,” and “Gandj nashriyat.”

As revealed by a journalistic investigation conducted at that time by Radio Ozodi, the publishing house of Emomali Rahmon’s son-in-law “Nashriyoti muosir” offered to publish 1.6 million copies of the book “Tajiks” for 133 million 280 thousand somoni, “Gandj nashriyat” for 149 million 920 thousand somoni, while “Er Graf” offered only 4 million 500 thousand somoni.

The Chairman of the Agency for State Procurement of Goods, Works, and Services under the Government of Tajikistan, Zainullo Sharifzoda, announced the winner of the tender as the publishing house “Nashriyoti Muosir” – a company owned by his brother Shamsullo Sokhibov. As a result of this manipulation, instead of 4.5 million, 136 million budget funds were spent, which went to the son-in-law of Emomali Rahmon.

Experts believe that if the reason for the detention is the publication of the book “Havodisi Ruzgori Man” by Abduhalil Khalikzoda, then the publishing house is not responsible for the content of the book. However, this is just a pretext, and the son-in-law of Emomali Rahmon considers the owner of “Er Graf” his competitor and now wants to eliminate him, using this pretext. In business, no one has the right to compete with the sons-in-law and other relatives of Emomali Rahmon.