Another figure involved in the high-profile case of senior officials and politicians has been detained in Dushanbe. The former press secretary of the Ministry of Culture of Tajikistan and ex-consul of Tajikistan in Afghanistan, Abdulfaiz Atoi, was detained in early August by employees of the General Prosecutor’s Office of Tajikistan. According to Radio Ozodi, he […]
Another figure involved in the high-profile case of senior officials and politicians has been detained in Dushanbe.
The former press secretary of the Ministry of Culture of Tajikistan and ex-consul of Tajikistan in Afghanistan, Abdulfaiz Atoi, was detained in early August by employees of the General Prosecutor’s Office of Tajikistan.
According to Radio Ozodi, he was detained in connection with the case of former Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi.
Information about his detention became known only on September 26. Authorities have not yet reported anything to the public regarding the detention of the ex-consul.
Relatives of Abdulfaiz Atoi refuse to communicate with the press. It is unknown what he is accused of. The lawyer of the detainee also declined to provide details of the case, citing confidentiality.
In early June 2024, a number of senior officials and politicians were detained, including the former leader of the Democratic Party and former parliament member Saidjafar Usmonzoda, ex-chairman of the Supreme Council of Tajikistan Akbarsho Iskandarov, former Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi, journalist and deputy chairman of the Democratic Party Ahmadshoh Komilzoda, and deputy leader of the Social Democratic Party of Tajikistan and lawyer Shokirdzhon Hakimov.
Saidjafar Usmonzoda was accused of colluding with the opposition and attempting to seize power in the country by force using his official position. The Prosecutor General of Tajikistan Yusuf Rahmon stated that he allegedly recruited supporters from various social strata both within the country and abroad, organized groups, and assigned specific tasks to each of them.
“According to a pre-planned scheme, they wanted to destabilize the socio-political situation in several regions of the country in the shortest possible time, seize buildings of law enforcement agencies and military structures, capture weapons, and violently overthrow the state power in the country,” Yusuf Rahmon stated at that time.
Yusuf Rahmon also confirmed that the cases of all these senior officials and politicians were closely related. He did not provide more specific information.