Tajik activist detained in Russia

Emomali Kholov, a former colleague of Izzat Amon, has been detained in Russia and may be deported to Tajikistan.

Photo: Internet

30-year-old Emomali Kholov was a volunteer at the “Center of Tajiks” and helped needy migrants during the coronavirus pandemic. He has been wanted in his native Dangarinsky district since 2021 on charges of extremism.

Kholov’s relatives reported that he was detained by police on May 26 at a passenger station in the Gorshechensky district. Since then, Kholov has been in custody. Authorities have not yet made a final decision regarding the detainee’s fate.

Dilorom Boymukhammadova, Kholov’s wife, stated that several of their children hold Russian citizenship and they are appealing to the authorities on their behalf, requesting that Kholov not be deported to Tajikistan.

Kholov’s relatives fear that if he is deported to Tajikistan, he may face torture and a lengthy prison sentence.

This is not the first case of colleagues of Izzat Amon being detained in Russia. Previously, former colleague of Izzat Amon, Mukhammedkhon Egamov, was detained in Russia. Additionally, Bakhtovar Jumayev, Sukhrabi Dzhakhon, and Khusein Ishankulov have reported pressure from authorities on their relatives in Tajikistan.

Earlier, Izzat Amon was found guilty of large-scale fraud. He was sentenced to 9 years in prison. Relatives appealed the verdict to the Supreme Court, but the sentence was upheld.

On June 7, the court of the Ismoili Somoni district in Dushanbe added another 6 years to the sentence of human rights defender Izzat Amon.

Izzat Amon, head of the Center of Tajiks in Moscow, disappeared from Russia on March 25, but Tajik authorities later stated that Russia had deported the human rights defender. A criminal case had previously been opened against him in Tajikistan on charges of fraud, and he was detained immediately after landing at Dushanbe airport.

The detention of Izzat Amon in Tajikistan sparked negative reactions from labor migrants, civil society activists, and social media users, with many calling for his release, but authorities stated that Izzat Amon was detained on charges of fraud based on citizens’ complaints.