Tajik known human rights lawyer Faiziniso Vohidova, who for decades defended dissidents, rights activists, and opposition politicians, has died at the age of 55.
Her relatives say she died Thursday night in a hospital in the northern city of Guliston (formerly Qairoqqum) in the Sughd province.
According to some sources, the cause of death was pneumonia.
Faiziniso Vohidova graduated from Moscow State University in 1986 and started her career as a lawyer in 1995. She was one of the last lawyers in Tajikistan who provided legal assistance to opposition figures, journalists, and victims of torture.
Steve Swerdlow, a human rights researcher and lawyer with Human Rights Watch, called Vohidova's death “a huge loss for Tajikistan” and described her as a fearless lawyer and a fighter for women’s rights and for basic human dignity.
Rajab Mirzo, an independent journalist and rights activist in Tajikistan, told Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service that Vohidova was “the last pillar” of those challenging the authorities in Tajikistan.
