A senior police official says journalist Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda is suspected of being involved in extremist activities.
The chief of the Interior Ministry Organized Crime Control Directorate, Shodi Hafizzoda, told reporters in Dushanbe on July 19 that criminal proceedings have been instituted against Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda under the provisions of Article 307, Note 1 – public calls for extremist activities and public justification of extremism.
According to him, Pirmuhammadzoda is currently being held at pretrial detention facility and an investigation is under way.
If convicted, Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda could face up to five years in prison.
Recall, Pirmuhammadzoda had been kept incommunicado since his arrest 10 days ago. The Prosecutor-General's Office said earlier that Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda was detained on July 9 for disobeying police.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) released a statement on July 14 urging Tajik authorities to immediately disclose information on the whereabouts of Pirmuhammadzoda and another journalist, Zavqibek Saidamini, who was also arrested earlier in July.
According to the statement, Pirmuhammadzoda publishes his personal views on free speech and alleged government injustices on his YouTube channel, where he has about 39,000 subscribers.
Citing Pirmuhammadzoda’s brother, CPJ says Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda worked at the state-owned radio station Sadoi Dushanbe (Voice of Dushanbe) until 2019, when he quit after being given the choice between moderating his critical reporting and resigning.
Both Pirmuhammadzoda and Saidamini reportedly worked with bloggers Daler Imomali and Abdullo Ghurbati who were detained on June 15, and have published calls for their release.
