Reaction of the head of the National Alliance to the arrest of the former chairman of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan

The National Alliance denied any negotiations with Saidjafar Usmonzoda regarding a violent seizure of state power in Tajikistan.

Saidjafar Usmonzoda, a member of parliament and former leader of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan, known for his loyalty to the government, was taken into custody on June 12. He was stripped of immunity on June 14 at the request of the country’s attorney general. The opinions of Saidjafar Usmonzoda and his relatives regarding the charges are unknown. The Attorney General of Tajikistan, Yusuf Rahmon, accused Usmonzoda of collaborating with leaders of the banned “National Alliance of Tajikistan” – an organization that unites opposition parties and movements abroad, as well as of conspiring with opposition leaders to seize state power in Tajikistan. In the presence of deputies, he stated that Saidjafar Usmonzoda “in September 2021 spoke on the phone with the deputy head of the extremist-terrorist organization ‘National Alliance of Tajikistan,’ Sharofiddin Gadoev, and provided preliminary recommendations regarding the usurpation of state power in the Republic of Tajikistan.”

“Sharofiddin Gadoev promised that to achieve this goal, the head of the extremist-terrorist organization ‘Islamic Revival Party’ Mukiddin Kabiri would provide him with financial assistance and more than three thousand fighters from the terrorist organization ‘Jamaat Ansarulloh’ from outside the Republic of Tajikistan,” the attorney general stated.

“Why was the case initiated only today?”

“We never discussed with Usmonzoda the topic of a violent seizure of state power in Tajikistan. The basis of this accusation is lies and slander. The last time I spoke with Usmonzoda was in 2020, and we were not talking about usurping power, but about the behavior and comments of opposition members towards government officials on social media,” Gadoev noted on June 14 in an interview with Radio Ozodi.

According to him, the charges brought by the attorney general against Usmonzoda are very serious. “If someone planned a coup, especially back in 2021, then why was the case initiated only today?” the interlocutor questions. Gadoev is convinced that the case against the former leader of the democrats is connected to the visit of a Russian general to Dushanbe in the spring of this year and his meeting with Saidjafar Usmonzoda. He stated that this meeting took place following the terrorist attack at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall.

In March, Radio Ozodi reported the arrival of a group of Russian investigators in Tajikistan to interrogate relatives of the individuals involved in the “Krokus” terrorist case. The details of this visit were not made public. “A general from the FSB of Russia suggested that Saidjafar Usmonzoda take on the role of leader of the new government. Russia wanted to form a new government in Tajikistan. Saidjafar Usmonzoda is one of the relatives of the head of the GKNB, Saymumin Yatimov. He did not pass the information he received to the relevant authorities, but later it reached the government. An order was issued from above to initiate a case against Saidjafar Usmonzoda and take him into custody,” Gadoev said. According to him, he learned this from sources close to the GKNB.

“One of the foreign countries.” Which one?

“To implement his criminal plan, Saidjafar Usmonzoda recruited his supporters from various social strata within the country and abroad, organized groups, and assigned each of them specific tasks. According to a pre-planned scheme, they wanted to destabilize the socio-political situation in several regions of the country in the shortest possible time, seize buildings of law enforcement agencies and military structures, capture weapons, and violently overthrow the state power in the country. To carry out this crime, Saidjafar Usmonzoda requested $10 million from a representative of one of the foreign countries to attract influential people and organize rallies,” the statement from “Khovar” said. The statement did not specify which foreign country Usmonzoda requested this amount from.

Sharofiddin Gadoev wrote on Facebook on May 11, after Usmonzoda was removed from the leadership of the Democratic Party, that this case is related to the deterioration of relations between Tajikistan and Russia. “I also see a conflict here between the power structures. A conflict within the system. Between the GKNB, Shohrukh Saidzoda, and the Prosecutor General Yusuf Rahmon. There is pressure on Yatimov through Usmonzoda. They are relatives, after all. However, according to the information we received, this issue is related to the cooling of relations between Tajikistan and Russia and the visit of the FSB general,” Gadoev said.

Sharofiddin Gadoev is the leader of the opposition movement “Reform and Development of Tajikistan” and the deputy chairman of the banned “National Alliance of Tajikistan.” In the past, he was one of the leaders of “Group 24.”

“Supported the interests of the ruling party and president”

Saidjafar Usmonzoda was one of the few members of parliament who was open with the media and, in particular, participated in Radio Ozodi programs. The arrest of Usmonzoda against the backdrop of the scandalous extraordinary congress of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan, which was organized by his deputies on May 11, during which Usmonzoda was removed from the post of party chairman due to “unsatisfactory activities,” raises many questions.

On May 31, the Ministry of Justice of Tajikistan deemed the controversial congress of the Democratic Party legitimate and recognized Shahboz Abror as its leader.

However, Usmonzoda stated to the media on June 6 that he is still the legitimate chairman of the Democratic Party, and that on June 6 he and his supporters held a meeting of the party’s Political Council. At that meeting, Usmonzoda announced that Ahmadshoh Komilzoda was removed from the position of deputy chairman of the Democratic Party, and the extraordinary congress held on May 11 was declared illegal. Doctor of Law Shokirdzhon Hakimov stated that Saidjafar Usmonzoda supported not so much democratic values as the interests of the ruling party, the president, and the state, which is why his arrest “raises many questions.”

“The facts reported by the Attorney General of Tajikistan are very serious. Therefore, we should expect even more investigations. And here is another question – in the conditions of Tajikistan, will he be provided with a lawyer, or will he be defended by a state lawyer who will act at the behest of the authorities,” he added.

The Democratic Party of Tajikistan, founded in 1991, has experienced various intrigues, conflicts, and disputes throughout its history. After the signing of the peace agreement in Tajikistan, the party was led by Mahmadruzi Iskandrov. At the end of 2006, after the arrest and detention of Iskandrov, the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Tajikistan recognized Masud Sobirov as the new chairman of the Democratic Party. By that time, the DPT had split into two wings, led by Saidjafar Usmonzoda (Ismonov) and Rahmatullo Valiev, deputies of the former party chairman.

In 2013, following a month-long inspection and study of the documents submitted by the DPT, the Ministry of Justice registered a new Charter of the party and officially recognized Saidjafar Usmonzoda as the chairman of the party. Two years later, he was elected to the lower house of the Parliament of Tajikistan from the Farhor electoral district. Former democrats accuse Usmonzoda of turning the DPT into a “pocket” party. This term is used to describe parties whose leaders are loyal to the authorities.

Saidjafar Usmonzoda ran for the presidency of Tajikistan twice – in 2013 and 2020 – but, according to the Central Election Commission, did not receive the required number of votes. At that time, some experts stated that the decision to participate in the presidential races was made to lend legitimacy to the elections.