Opposition politician appeals to the UN

An opposition activist has addressed the UN with an open letter, complaining about the unlawful actions of the authorities in Turkey and Tajikistan.

Opposition figure and political activist Ubaidullo Said in his open letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated that the authorities of Turkey and Tajikistan have grossly violated the rights of Sukhrab Zafar and Nasimjon Sharifov.

The abduction of the leader of the “Group 24” movement, Sukhrab Zafar, and a high-ranking member of the movement, Nasimjon Sharifov, on Turkish territory and their forced extradition to Tajikistan without following legal procedures is a clear violation of international norms and contradicts the standards of international justice, the letter notes.

The political activist emphasized that Sukhrab Zafar and Nasimjon Sharifov have been under the protection of the UN since 2015. He proposed holding the authorities of Turkey and Tajikistan accountable for failing to comply with these norms.

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

The letter also states that Tajikistan is a member of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and according to the requirements of this covenant, Tajikistan is obliged to ensure the protection of the rights of its citizens and must not allow political persecution.

The UN Human Rights Committee also called for the authorities of Turkey to cease the illegal extradition of dissidents. Additionally, the UN Human Rights Committee urged the authorities of Tajikistan to immediately release Sukhrab Zafar and Nasimjon Sharifov. In case of non-compliance with these obligations, the UN called for serious measures and strict sanctions against these countries.

The leader of the political movement “Group 24,” Sukhrab Zafar, disappeared in Istanbul on the morning of March 10 of this year. Activist and member of “Group 24,” Nasimjon Sharifov also went missing on February 23, 2024.

Initially, nothing was known about their whereabouts.

The “Group 24” website then reported that the two political activists, representative and leader of the political movement “Group 24” — Nasimjon Sharifov and Sukhrab Zafar — were abducted and illegally extradited from Turkey to Tajikistan.

Nearly six months later, on August 9, the Prosecutor General of Tajikistan, Yusuf Rahmon, at a press conference stated that Sukhrab Zafar and Nasimjon Sharifov are in Dushanbe, the investigation into their case is nearly complete, and the case will be sent to court. However, the prosecutor general did not explain how they ended up in Tajikistan and what charges have been brought against them.

Both activists were abducted in Turkey — a country where the founder and leader of “Group 24,” Umarali Kuvvatov, was killed in 2015.

The court in Dushanbe sentenced the leader of the political movement “Group 24,” Sukhrab Zafar, to 30 years in prison. His associate, the representative of this organization in Turkey, Nasimjon Sharifov, was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment.

The court session took place on October 10 at Detention Center No. 1 in Dushanbe behind closed doors.

A number of human rights and political organizations, including the National Alliance of Tajikistan, the opposition movement “Reforms and Development of Tajikistan,” and the Civil Committee for the Protection of Political Hostages and Prisoners of Tajikistan, condemned the verdict of the Dushanbe Court regarding Sukhrabi Zafar and Nasimjon Sharipov in their statements and called on the authorities of Tajikistan to immediately and unconditionally release these political activists.