The condition of Mahmurod Odinaev has worsened in prison

The political prisoner and former deputy chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Tajikistan is suffering from exacerbation of spinal disease, hypertension, and bladder pain.

His relatives have sent a letter to the Main Department for the Execution of Sentences of the Ministry of Justice of Tajikistan requesting the transfer of Odinaev to the prison hospital of the Vahdat colony for treatment. However, there has been no response to their request.

The son of the political prisoner, Khabibullo Rizoev, told journalists that he saw his father during a visit in prison a month ago. According to him, Odinaev had difficulty moving and could not stand straight due to back pain.

During the visit, Mahmuroid Odinaev also asked his relatives to write a statement for his hospitalization.

Relatives also reported that Odinaev’s condition worsened back in 2021, and he is constantly provided with medications.

So far, the authorities of Tajikistan have not reacted to reports about Mahmuroid Odinaev’s poor health condition in prison.

Since his detention, Mahmuroid Odinaev has consistently complained about his poor health. According to his relatives, his condition has deteriorated to the point where he cried and begged for treatment and hospitalization, but the authorities ignore his illnesses and do not provide him with medical care.

The deputy chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Tajikistan, Mahmuroid Odinaev, was detained by law enforcement agencies in December 2020. A criminal case was initiated against him under the article “hooliganism.” The court found him guilty of hooliganism and public calls for violent change of the constitutional order and sentenced him to 14 years in prison.

Later, in September 2021, the authorities granted amnesty to Mahmuroid Odinaev and reduced his sentence by 3 years. However, Odinaev himself demanded his release.

On November 20, 2020, Mahmuroid Odinaev called for organizing a protest action, but after that, he disappeared. Two weeks later, it was reported that he had been detained in the city of Dushanbe.

In February 2021, the court of the city of Gissar sentenced Shaikhmuslikhiddin Rizoev, the son of Mahmuroid Odinaev, to 6 years in prison on charges of “hooliganism” and “attempted rape.”

Relatives believe that Mahmuroid Odinaev and his son are innocent and that they were imprisoned based on fabricated and politically motivated charges.

Earlier, American senators appealed to the authorities of Tajikistan urging the release of political prisoners.

Additionally, in recent years, the European Parliament has adopted 3 resolutions regarding the dire situation of political prisoners in Tajikistan and called for their immediate release.

The UN also considers the detention and sentencing of politicians and activists to prison to be illegal.

However, the government of Tajikistan not only ignores these calls from international organizations and Western countries but also intensifies repression.