Authorities seek extradition of natives of Badakhshan from Russia

The list of natives from the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, whose detention and extradition are being sought by the authorities of Tajikistan, continues to grow.

According to journalist Anora Sarkorova, the new list prepared by the State Committee for National Security and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan includes about 30 civil society activists, of whom 4 are women.

The authorities of Tajikistan have already sent a request to their Russian counterparts asking to detain and deport the activists back to their homeland. It is reported that some of them hold dual Russian or only Russian citizenship.

The list includes the names of civil society activists who expressed their opinions using social networks and messaging apps regarding the events in GBAO, criticized the actions of the Tajik authorities, and contributed to the collection of aid for the families of those affected by politically motivated persecution and political prisoners in the region.

In the past month, law enforcement agencies in Tajikistan have initiated criminal cases under Article 307 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Tajikistan against at least three young women of Pamiri ethnicity, reports Anora Sarkorova.

Relatives of the civil activists were summoned to the Department for Combating Organized Crime to clarify their whereabouts, and they were pressured to persuade the activists to voluntarily return to their homeland, surrender to the authorities, and ask for forgiveness from the president of the country.

As previously reported, on February 1, 2024, Anora Sarkorova’s mother was summoned to the central office of the Department for Combating Organized Crime of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and was informed that a criminal case had been initiated against journalist Anora Sarkorova under Article 307 (public calls for extremist activities) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Tajikistan.

Anora Sarkorova also reports that a month ago, believing the promises of law enforcement officials and on the advice of her parents, a young woman returned to her homeland. She was detained upon her return, and since then, nothing has been known about her whereabouts.

The names included in the list of natives from the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, whose extradition is being sought by Tajikistan, are unknown.

Earlier, the Mediazona portal published the names of about a hundred thousand individuals wanted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. Among them, there are also the names of 6,585 citizens of Tajikistan, as well as dozens of foreigners, including natives of Central Asia and Europe.