Lithuanian authorities stripped a Tajik activist of refugee status

Political activist from Tajikistan Sulaymon Davlatov, who was previously detained in Lithuania, has appealed to the authorities of that country to restore his refugee status and prevent his possible deportation to Dushanbe.

Sulaymon Davlatov, who frequently opened discussions on Islamic topics and sharply criticized the authorities of Tajikistan on his social media accounts, was detained by Lithuanian security forces on April 5 of this year. Later, the migration service of the country revoked his refugee status on security grounds. Since then, Davlatov has been in a special center for the detention of illegal migrants in Vilnius, and he faces forced deportation to Tajikistan. He has appealed the migration service’s decision in court and hopes that his refugee status in Lithuania will be restored. The court is expected to consider his appeal in early June.

In an interview with Radio Ozodi on May 20, Davlatov stated that after two and a half months, there has been no official explanation for the reasons for his arrest.

“Only once, in mid-April, migration service officials visited the center and asked me questions about my participation in a rally in support of Palestine in Vilnius. Yes, I participated in this rally, for which official permission was obtained, but I did not support any terrorist group. I spoke out against the war and in support of ordinary people, children who are dying in this war. The death of children is unacceptable in Israel, Palestine, or Ukraine. I was also asked about Iran’s attack on Israel. I simply said that I am against any war. Then they asked my opinion on the war between Russia and Ukraine. I said that I participated in protests against Russia in support of Ukraine,” the interviewee said.

Sulaymon Davlatov is 40 years old and hails from the city of Vahdat. He was previously a member of the banned “Group 24” and the Congress of Democratic Forces of Tajikistan. In 2015, he was forced to flee Tajikistan, and that same year he was detained at the request of Dushanbe by Interpol in Finland, where he had moved from Saint Petersburg, but was later released. In 2016, he moved to Lithuania and received refugee status there. For the past 9 years, he has been living and working in Vilnius. According to his friends, Davlatov owns a restaurant, a store, and a bakery in the Lithuanian capital. He has three children.