Promised clemency, but sentenced to imprisonment

Zokhid Kuvvatov, a native of the Vanj district, who returned after requesting release from criminal liability as provided by law, was sentenced to six years in a penal colony in Tajikistan.

Zokhid Kuvvatov, known as Kori Zokhid (Kori means Quran reader), who published videos on YouTube calling for adherence to Islam and its prescriptions, was sentenced to six years of imprisonment in Tajikistan.

According to Radio Ozodi, citing Kuvvatov’s relatives, he preached at wedding and funeral ceremonies of compatriots in Russia.

The 30-year-old Zokhid Kuvvatov is reported to be a native of the village of Jamaki in the Yazgulomskiy district of GBAO. He is the father of two children. In March 2025, law enforcement agencies initiated a criminal case against him on charges of extremism.

Before returning to the country, Kuvvatov wrote a letter to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan, Ramazon Rahimzoda, requesting amnesty under the note to the article provided for in the Criminal Code of Tajikistan.

For example, the note to Article 307/2 (ORGANIZATION of an extremist community) states: “A person who voluntarily ceases participation in an extremist community is exempt from criminal liability if their actions do not contain another composition of a crime.”

It is likely that Kuvvatov relied on this note.

Radio Ozodi published Kuvvatov’s letter.

“I deeply regret what I have done and sincerely apologize for my behavior. I want to return to Tajikistan from the holy Mecca, where I came to perform Umrah, and serve my homeland. In this regard, I respectfully and with great trust request, based on the instructions of the president of the country… to release me from responsibility,” Kuvvatov wrote.

Kuvvatov’s relatives reported that he lived in Russia. After performing Umrah and traveling to Saudi Arabia, Kuvvatov received a positive response from the law enforcement agencies of the Vanj district regarding his pardon.

However, he was detained immediately upon his return. In November of this year, the court in Khorog found him guilty of participating in an extremist community and assisting in their activities using the internet.

At the same time, Kuvvatov’s relatives do not have precise information about how and in what specific extremist organization he was accused of participating.

Zokhid Kuvvatov was sentenced to imprisonment against the backdrop of recent efforts by Tajikistan’s law enforcement agencies to bring back opposition members and dissidents, promising them pardons.

Recently, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Dushanbe appealed to citizens who are officially wanted and hiding outside of Tajikistan, urging them to voluntarily return to the country and surrender to law enforcement authorities. The statement emphasizes that the legislation of Tajikistan provides for a more lenient punishment for individuals who admit their guilt on their own and turn themselves in to the police.