Rukhshona Hakimova has been transferred to a penal colony

On April 22, 31-year-old journalist Rukhshona Hakimova, mother of two small children, was transferred from the pre-trial detention center in Dushanbe to a women’s colony in Nurek.

This Tajik journalist, detained by law enforcement officials in July of last year, had been in the Dushanbe pre-trial detention center until yesterday.

According to the publication “Asia-Plus,” her relatives brought a package to the detention center yesterday, but it was not accepted, as they were informed that Rukhshona had been transferred to Nurek.

Her relatives stated that they had not seen Rukhshona for more than two months. They now hope to visit her in the women’s colony. The relatives continue to insist on her innocence and demand justice.

Earlier, the media reported that the authorities confiscated about 230,000 somoni, which Hakimova and her husband had saved for purchasing housing. The confiscation of the journalist’s property was carried out according to a verdict in a high-profile case of “attempted coup d’état.”

It is reported that all those convicted in the “coup d’état” case will be transferred from the detention center to colonies in the coming days.

In early June 2024, a number of high-ranking officials and politicians were detained. The first was the former leader of the Democratic Party and former member of parliament Saidjafar Usmonzoda, who was detained on June 12. On June 14, at a parliamentary session, based on the proposal of the Attorney General, Saidjafar Usmonzoda was stripped of his immunity and arrested. Saidjafar Usmonzoda was accused of colluding with the opposition and “attempting to seize power” in the country using his official position.

Later, the case included the Deputy Chairman of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan Ahmadshokh Komilzod, lawyer and First Deputy Chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Tajikistan Shokirdzhon Hakimov, former Chairman of the Supreme Council of Tajikistan Akbarsho Iskandarov, former Minister of Foreign Affairs Hamrokhon Zarifi, and former employee of this ministry Abdulfaiz Atoi, as well as two employees of the State National Security Committee — retired Colonel Nuramin Ganizoda and retired Colonel Jamshid Boev.

Later, another figure appeared in the high-profile case of well-known politicians — the only woman, Rukhshona Hakimova, a journalist and niece of Shokirdzhon Hakimov. She was also accused of “treason against the state” — a criminal case was initiated against Rukhshona Hakimova under Article 305 (treason against the state) of the Criminal Code of Tajikistan.

It is still unclear why the investigation presented such a severe charge against the journalist, but a source close to the investigation informed the media that the prosecutor accused Rukhshona Hakimova of “conducting a survey on China’s influence in Tajikistan, and some of the detained politicians, including Saidjafar Usmonzoda and Shokirdzhon Hakimov, participated in the survey.”

Before the court, Rukhshona Khakimova was free under a travel ban, as she has a 5-month-old child. Law enforcement agencies confiscated her passport and other documents, and she was prohibited from leaving her home or communicating with journalists.