Convicted journalist appealed the court’s verdict

Zavkibek Saidamini has filed a cassation appeal in the court of Dushanbe.

Photo: Internet

The journalist, sentenced to 7 years in prison, disagreed with the verdict of the Ismoili Somoni district court, calling it “biased” and “incomplete.” A copy of the cassation appeal was published by Asia-Plus on November 24. It is reported that the appeal was written on November 16. The convicted journalist, who is being held in a pre-trial detention center in Dushanbe, stated that he disagrees with the verdict because “the judge did not take into account the evidence presented and the testimonies of some witnesses, but included in the verdict the name of a person who was not involved in the case as a witness.”

Saidamini also writes that the date of his detention does not match the date indicated in the verdict; moreover, he has dozens of other facts that he can confirm during the cassation court proceedings.

Photo: Internet

The convicted journalist, in his petition, asked the Dushanbe court to review the verdict of the Ismoili Somoni district court against him and, considering the numerous inconsistencies during the preliminary and court proceedings, as well as his willingness to cooperate with state structures, including law enforcement agencies, in the fight against extremist and terrorist groups, to overturn this verdict.

Saidamini writes that all the evidence was based on assumptions and copied from the investigator’s words.

Zavkibek Saidamini was detained on July 8 by officers of the Organized Crime Control Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the city of Vahdat.

On November 3, the Ismoili Somoni district court of Dushanbe sentenced the journalist to 7 years in prison. In his final statement, he rejected all charges.

The investigation accused him of collaborating with the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan and the “Group 24.” However, he has repeatedly denied these accusations.

Both the IRPT and the “Group 24” denied that Zavkibek Saidamini collaborated with these opposition groups.

Recently, law enforcement agencies have intensified pressure on bloggers and journalists. This summer, Daler Iomali, Abdullo Gurbati, Zavkibek Saidamini, Abdusat tor Pirmukhammadzoda, Mukhamadi Sultan, and Ulfatkhanim Mamadshoeva were detained. All of them were sentenced to long prison terms.

Journalistic and human rights organizations have appealed to the authorities of Tajikistan demanding the immediate release of all journalists and bloggers. However, the authorities have, as always, ignored the demands of international organizations.