Ahmadshoh Komilzoda, the first deputy chairman of the Democratic Party, has been detained

Ahmadshok Komilzoda, a journalist and first deputy chairman of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan, has been detained in Dushanbe. His family members are unavailable for comments, and law enforcement agencies have also not officially commented on the situation.

A source in the law enforcement agencies of Tajikistan reported to Radio Ozodi on June 27, on condition of anonymity, that Ahmadshok Komilzoda has been held in pre-trial detention since June 15. He declined to provide further details.

Another source close to the General Prosecutor’s Office of Tajikistan confirmed the information about Komilzoda’s detention, adding that a search was conducted at Ahmadshok Komilzoda’s home on June 16, during which his computer and a second phone were seized.

According to him, “the detention of Komilzoda is related to the case of Saidjafar Usmonzoda, a member of parliament and former chairman of the Democratic Party.” The source also reported that “a criminal case has been initiated against the deputy chairman of the Democratic Party,” but he does not have information on the specific article.

Saidjafar Usmonzoda, the former chairman of the Democratic Party and a member of the lower house of parliament, was detained on June 12 in Dushanbe on suspicion of attempting to seize state power.

In early May, a group of democrats held an extraordinary congress of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan, during which Usmonzoda was removed from the position of party chairman due to “unsatisfactory performance” and elected Shahboz Abror as their leader, a journalist and owner of several print media outlets. Ahmadshok Komilzoda was elected as the first deputy of Shahboz Abror at this congress, having previously served as Usmonzoda’s deputy. According to an informed source, Komilzoda was expected to become a member of the Majlisi Namoyandagon of Tajikistan from the Democratic Party instead of Usmonzoda.

Ahmadshok Komilzoda was an active member of the “Rastokhez” movement and director of Tajikistan television in the late 1990s. In 1993, he was detained along with several other journalists and spent some time in custody.

Ahmadshok Komilzoda served as the press secretary of the National Reconciliation Commission, established after the signing of the peace agreement. Until 2011, he was a correspondent for Voice of America in Tajikistan.