UN Secretary-General urged to assist in the release of political prisoners in Tajikistan

On the eve of the UN Secretary-General’s visit to Tajikistan, representatives of the Tajik opposition called on António Guterres to assist in the release of dozens of political prisoners. The appeal was published on June 29 on Facebook by the leader of the Political Movement for Reform and Development of Tajikistan – a banned opposition organization in the country, Sharofiddin Gadoev.

According to a statement from the UN press service, on June 29 the head of the organization is traveling to Central Asian countries, during which he plans to visit Tajikistan. In Dushanbe, meetings are scheduled with both President Emomali Rahmon and members of the government and civil society organizations.

Sharofiddin Gadoev is confident that during this trip the UN Secretary-General should raise the issue of dozens of political prisoners who have been sent to prisons since 2005. “We ask you to assist in the release of prisoners who are in jail solely because of their political views or disagreement with Emomali Rahmon’s policies,” Gadoev stated. “We draw your attention to the decision of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which demands the release of dozens of prisoners, including well-known lawyers and political figures such as Buzurgmehr Yorov, Zaid Saidov, Mahmmadruzi Iskandarov, Maksud Ibragimov, Muhammadali Khayit, and others.”

Tajik authorities have never acknowledged the existence of political prisoners in Tajik prisons, considering them convicted for violating the Criminal Code of Tajikistan.

The opposition leader also reminded about the repression of hundreds of residents of GBAO in connection with protests two years ago. “In 2022, more than 250 people were detained during protests and sentenced to decades in prison without proper judicial proceedings,” he writes. “Dozens of leaders and prominent individuals from Gorno-Badakhshan, who were in Russia, were abducted and illegally transported to Tajikistan, where they were sentenced to long prison terms. Among them are Oraz Vazirbekov, Ramzi Vazirbekov, Amriddin Alovatshoev, and others.”

Gadoev urged the UN head to “initiate an investigation into the events of May 2022 in the Rushan district of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, when law enforcement agencies shot at unarmed peaceful citizens, resulting in the deaths of 38 people.” The authorities in Tajikistan refer to the events in GBAO as a “counter-terrorism” operation, during which, according to official data, 16 people died, while independent sources report around 40 fatalities.

In his appeal, the opposition leader also called on Guterres to raise the issue of the release of other journalists, bloggers, and activists who have been sentenced to long prison terms after 2022, such as Abdukodir Rustam, Daler Imomali, Abdullo Gurbati, Zavkibek Saydamini, Ulfatkhonim Mamadshoeva, Muhammad Sultan, Khushruz Jumayev, Abdusat Torpirmukhammadzoda, and Khurshed Fozilov, among others. “Unfortunately, lawyers, journalists, and others who disagree with Rahmon’s regime are often automatically accused of extremism and terrorism,” he writes. So far, the authorities in Tajikistan have not officially announced Guterres’s upcoming visit to Dushanbe.