The court of the Sughd region has upheld the sentence of journalist Khurshed Fozilov. On August 14, representatives of the Supreme Court of Tajikistan announced at a press conference that the Sughd regional court reviewed the cassation appeal and decided to leave the verdict of the first instance court unchanged. Previously, the court in the […]
The court of the Sughd region has upheld the sentence of journalist Khurshed Fozilov.
On August 14, representatives of the Supreme Court of Tajikistan announced at a press conference that the Sughd regional court reviewed the cassation appeal and decided to leave the verdict of the first instance court unchanged.
Previously, the court in the city of Penjikent sentenced journalist Khurshed Fozilov to 7 years in prison on charges of collaborating with organizations banned in the country.
The cassation appeal by Fozilov and his lawyers was rejected on July 12 of this year.
It is still unknown whether Khurshed Fozilov’s lawyers intend to appeal this decision to the Supreme Court of Tajikistan.
Earlier, the supervisory court in Dushanbe upheld the sentence of convicted Tajik journalist Abdullo Gurbati, who was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison.
The court hearing for Khurshed Fozilov took place on May 26 of this year in the pre-trial detention center in Khujand. He was found guilty of collaborating with banned organizations and sentenced to 7 years in prison. His family and friends disagree with the court’s verdict.
On March 6, employees of the State National Security Committee (GKNB) detained Tajik journalist Khurshed Fozilov in the building of the Department of Labor, Migration, and Employment of the Population in Panjakent.
The authorities accused him of collaborating with banned organizations (Article 307, Supplement 3, Part 2) of the Criminal Code of Tajikistan. However, Fozilov himself rejected all charges and stated that he acted only within the law.
The journalist informed his lawyer that GKNB officers forced him to confess to a crime he did not commit.
Khurshed Fozilov complained to the prosecutor’s office of the Sughd region about arbitrary arrest, violation of personal inviolability, and coercion to testify against himself. However, the court rejected the journalist’s complaint.
Khurshed Fozilov is 37 years old and has three children. He wrote news and reports for the independent press from the Zarafshan region. Previously, he and several other journalists were accused of collaborating with the news portal Akhbor.com, which is banned in Tajikistan.
Last year, the authorities of the country imprisoned several well-known journalists and bloggers on false charges. Human rights defenders regularly demand their release from Tajikistan. The authorities, as always, ignore the recommendations and demands of organizations.
Repressions in the country have led to Tajikistan’s ranking in the Press Freedom Index being lower than that of Afghanistan, where the Taliban are in power.