Why did Tajik authorities convict a 23-year-old man?

On October 15, 2023, Shahboz Sharifbek published a video that was viewed by more than 1 million people. The day after the video was published, Sharifbek was detained by law enforcement agencies of Tajikistan, and the post was deleted. The 23-year-old Tajik was sentenced to 5 years in prison for “public calls through social networks for extremist activities.” The charges were based on a video posted online in October 2023, where he criticized the authorities, including President Rahmon.

In his nearly 13-minute video, filmed on a smartphone, Sharifbek angrily states that local officials illegally took his brother from their home “without a summons” and “treated him like an animal”; that officials “beat, dragged” and “threatened” his elderly grandmother and aunt. “If you want to take someone to the army, do it legally – send him a summons, call him to the military enlistment office,” Sharifbek says in the video. In the video, Sharifbek expresses his anger at the long-time president of the country, saying that Rahmon often “condemns Afghanistan for violating women’s rights, but does not see what is happening in his own country.” Sharifbek demanded that Rahmon investigate the abuse of his officials against his grandmother and aunt.

Sharifbek emotionally accused local officials of abusing their position for enrichment and seizing property, “while ordinary people struggle with poverty.” Sharifbek warns in the video that “the brutal treatment of officials towards people, the violation of their civil rights, and poverty can push young people towards extremism and terrorism.” Sharifbek lamented the silence of Tajik bloggers regarding the dire situation of the people and the abuses of the authorities.

He also accused the opposition Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan (IRPT), banned in Tajikistan, of attempting to recruit “poor young people” for potential “terrorist” activities. The IRPT did not comment on the accusations, but the party denies such claims as it has no history of using violent measures.

Being too poor to attend college, Sharifbek has struggled with odd jobs his whole life. He supported his poor family in Vahdat, on the outskirts of Dushanbe, where he lived with his younger brother and their 82-year-old grandmother. The grandmother raised Shahboz and his brother after they were orphaned in childhood.

Shahboz Sharifbek has never had a political agenda and has not been in contact with any political, religious, or social groups. In his video, Sharifbek used profanity both against the officials of Vahdat and against the IRPT, but his statements do not contain calls for extremist activities. Sharifbek is currently serving his sentence in a prison in Khujand, while his younger brother is serving in a military unit there in the Sughd region.