Nilufar Rajabova is accused of extremism

The daughter of the convicted member of the Supreme Presidium of the Islamic Revival Party, Rahmatullo Rajab, Nilufar Rajabova, is accused of extremism.

Photo: Internet

Nilufar Rajabova, who is currently outside Tajikistan, is reported by Radio Ozodi to have a criminal case opened against her under Article 307 (1) part 2 of the Criminal Code of Tajikistan (Public calls for extremist activities using the internet). The law provides for a prison sentence of five to ten years.

According to Nilufar Rajabova, law enforcement officials told her brother and sister that if she had posted a video on her social media page, she would not face any consequences. However, she posted text and a video interview on a “traitors’ website,” which is considered a crime, and therefore a criminal case was initiated against her.

The viewpoint of law enforcement agencies is currently unavailable to the media.

Nilufar Rajabova confirmed that on November 18, she spoke with a journalist from payom.net about how and why her father, Rahmatullo Rajab, and another convicted activist of the IRPT, Zubaidullo Rozik, were placed in a punishment cell (SHIZO) in the Vahdat colony, and she does not believe that her conversation with the journalist was illegal.

Rahmatullo Rajab was detained in 2015, and his trial was held behind closed doors. By court decision, he was sentenced to 28 years in prison. In recent months, he has appealed to the Tajik authorities at least twice to review his sentence, but the prison administration responded by placing him and several other political prisoners in a punishment cell (SHIZO).

The media first reported on Nilufar Rajabova at the end of 2019 when she was detained by police for wearing a hijab. Later, at the police station, she was subjected to humiliation, insults, and even beatings.

International human rights organizations have repeatedly expressed concern about the persecution and interrogation of relatives of political activists in Tajikistan and called on the authorities to end the practice of pressuring them. The authorities deny that pressure is applied to the families of political activists.