A court hearing has begun in Tajikistan regarding the case of political activists Sukhrab Zafar and Nasimjon Sharipov, who were abducted in Istanbul. This was reported by the political movement “Group 24” on its website. It is reported that the court session started on September 18 in a closed format and without the participation of […]
A court hearing has begun in Tajikistan regarding the case of political activists Sukhrab Zafar and Nasimjon Sharipov, who were abducted in Istanbul.
This was reported by the political movement “Group 24” on its website.
It is reported that the court session started on September 18 in a closed format and without the participation of the defendants’ relatives.
On September 20, Radio Ozodi, citing its sources, reported that another court session regarding the leader of “Group 24,” Sukhrab Zafar, and activist Nasimjon Sharipov also took place in a closed format at Detention Center No. 1 in Dushanbe.
It is unknown whether the defendants have access to a lawyer. Authorities or representatives of the judicial bodies have not commented on the progress of the case. It is reported that, once again, the relatives of the defendants were not allowed to attend the court.
It was previously reported that the two political activists, leader of the political movement “Group 24” Sukhrab Zafar and the organization’s representative in Istanbul, Nasimjon Sharipov, were abducted and illegally extradited from Turkey to Tajikistan.
The authorities of Turkey and Tajikistan have not disclosed how the activists were abducted and brought to Tajikistan.
The political movement “Group 24” condemned the abduction of its leader Sukhrab Zafar and activist Nasimjon Sharipov in a statement on August 5, calling it a “barbaric” and “cruel act” that contradicts “all international laws.”
Leader of the political movement “Group 24” Sukhrab Zafar went missing in Istanbul on the morning of March 10 of this year. Activist and member of “Group 24” Nasimjon Sharipov also went missing on February 23, 2024. Both disappeared in Istanbul, a city where the founder and leader of “Group 24,” Umarali Kuvvatov, was killed in 2015.