A year on from the arrest of 14 high-ranking members of the opposition Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan (IRPT), in September 2015,
A statement released by Amnesty International (AI) on September 19 says Tajikistan’s human rights landscape has worsened dramatically.
The IRPT leading members and activists were all convicted following an unfair trial and sentenced to long-term imprisonment; scores of other individuals have since been criminally prosecuted in connection with the same events. Information relating to their prosecution is extremely sparse and patchy, and points to numerous human rights violations, according to the statement.
“The prosecution of the 14 high-ranking IRPT members is linked to the violent unrest of September 2015 which the authorities reported as an armed attempt by the former Tajikistani Deputy Defense Minister Abduhalim Nazarzoda and his supporters to seize power. Due to the authorities’ near-total grip on news reporting in the country, there has been very little independent public scrutiny of the official account of these events. Virtually all vestiges of peaceful dissent have been suppressed in Tajikistan, and fear of reprisals for any form of criticism of the authorities has permeated Tajikistani society. In this context, discussing these events, and particularly their fallout in human rights terms, has become a taboo subject within the country,” the statement says.
The arrest and criminal prosecution of 14 IRPT leaders has reportedly involved numerous violations of their right to fair trial, prompted concern that they were subjected to torture and other ill-treatment and strong suspicion that the charges were politically motivated. These were reinforced after independent lawyers representing IRPT members were not granted full access to their clients in detention, and particularly after criminal proceedings were opened against at least three of these lawyers themselves, the statement says, noting that relatives of arrested IRPT members too, have been threatened and harassed by the law enforcement authorities.
“The trial of the 14 IRPT leaders started in February 2016. The case was heard by five judges of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Tajikistan. The hearing was closed to the public and took place inside the pre-trial detention center of the State Committee for National Security. The trial ended in June 2016, and all 14 IRPT members were convicted and sentenced to long prison terms. Two deputy IRPT leaders, Umarali Hisainov (aka Saidumur Husaini) and Mahmadali Haitov (aka Mahmadali Hayit), were sentenced to life imprisonment. Zarafo Khujaeva (Zarafo Rahmoni), the only woman among the co-defendants in the case, was sentenced to two years in prison. She was released from prison on September 5, 2016 under presidential pardon, after she had addressed the president with a letter asking for pardon. Other sentences ranged from 14 to 28 years in prison.”
The trial of the arrested IRPT leaders reportedly fell far short of international fair trial standards. Allegations of torture and other ill-treatment, used to obtain “confessions”, have been repeatedly voiced by human rights defenders in exile and relatives of the arrested IRPT members, the statement noted.
“As a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Tajikistan is legally obliged, among other things, to protect and respect the right of every criminal suspect to a fair trial, including, among others, to public hearings, to be provided with adequate time and facilities to prepare their defense and to examine witnesses. Tajikistan is also bound, both under that Covenant and under the UN Convention against torture, by the absolute prohibition on torture and other ill-treatment. After his March 2016 visit to Tajikistan, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Freedom of Opinion and Expression David Kaye expressed concern about the IRPT prosecutions and stated that “the drastic measures taken against IRPT represent a serious setback for an open political environment. The Government accuses the IRPT and its members of serious crimes but it has refused to give public access to the trial and evidence.”
Human rights violations in Tajikistan should be immediately addressed and Tajikistan should fully respect its obligations under international human rights law, including by addressing immediately the violations outlined in this document, according to the statement.
“In particular, the IRPT members, and any other individuals who face or have faced grossly unfair trials, should be retried in independent courts in proceedings which meet international standards of fairness, as should their arrested lawyers who are currently standing trial. The Tajikistani authorities should also initiate prompt, effective, independent and impartial investigations into all allegations of torture and other ill-treatment. Where sufficient, admissible evidence is found, suspected perpetrators must be brought to justice in fair trials. The Tajikistani authorities should also respect the right to freedom of expression and association for all, and in particular end harassment and persecution of government critics, including political activists and other dissenting voices.
“Tajikistan’s international partners should commit to monitoring and reporting human rights violations in the country, and ensure that concerns about Tajikistan’s human rights record are considered at every opportunity where the Tajikistani authorities are represented in bilateral and multilateral fora.”
