Zubaidullohi Rozik has been transferred back to the SHIZO.

Zubaidullohi Rozik, an 80-year-old political prisoner and former member of the Supreme Presidium of the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan, has been placed back in a punishment cell (SHIZO).

Photo: Internet

Zubaidullohzoda Khisom, son of Zubaidullohi Rozik, reported on his Facebook page that on September 7, his father was again sent to the punishment cell.

The son of the political prisoner stated that the reason for Zubaidullohi Rozik’s placement in the punishment cell was the discovery of a Quran and Islamic literature in his father’s bed. These books are prohibited in a high-security colony, Khisom writes.

At the same time, one of the prison staff in Vakhdat told Radio Ozodi that Zubaidullohi Rozik was placed in solitary confinement for 15 days for violating prison regulations. According to the staff member, “despite repeated warnings, Zubaidullohi Rozik continued to use religious books to teach one of the young inmates the basics of Sharia.”

“We treat Domullo Zubaidulloh with respect. We told him: please pray, read your prayers, but religious education in the colony is illegal. However, he did not heed our requests. Last week he violated the ban again,” said the prison staff member, who preferred to remain unnamed.

However, the son of the political prisoner, Zubaidullohzoda Khisom, rejected these accusations and believes that the prison administration has started to treat his father poorly after he sent an open letter to the President of Tajikistan requesting a review of his case.

This is not the first time that the elderly political prisoner has been placed in a punishment cell.

Previously, the 80-year-old religious figure had been placed in a punishment cell several times. In particular, the last time he was punished for performing “night prayers.” But after a week, considering his poor health, he was returned to a regular cell.

“My father was released from SHIZO, but he has health problems. Today, relatives took necessary medications for him,” Zubaidullohzoda Khisom told Azda TV in August of this year.

Relatives of Zubaidullohi Rozik have repeatedly expressed concern about his health condition. They stated that the conditions in the punishment cell are very harsh, and it is very difficult for an elderly person to endure such conditions.

Zubaidullohi Rozik was arrested along with other high-ranking members of the IRPT in September 2015. In 2016, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He and his relatives categorically denied all the charges against him.