The founder and owner of the Dushanbe clinic "Ibni Sino" Abdukhalil Kholikzoda was arrested a week ago by the security forces of Tajikistan.
Two Asia-Plus sources confirmed this and reported that Abdukhalil Kholikzod is suspected of "inciting social, racial, national, regional, religious (confessional) enmity or discord" under Article 189 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Tajikistan.
According to sources, Kholikzoda was detained in his clinic by employees of the Department for Combating Organized Crime of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and now he is in a temporary detention facility in the Firdavsi district.
However, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan Ramazon Rahimzoda at a press conference on August 11, when asked by an Asia-Plus correspondent about the detention of the owner of the “Ibni Sino” clinics, briefly replied: "The Ministry of Internal Affairs did not detain him."
Other sources say that Abdukhalil Kholikzoda was arrested by the staff of the Prosecutor General's Office or at the request of this department.
Thus, seven days later, it is officially unknown which agency arrested him and for what.
According to the legislation of Tajikistan, the period of interrogation of a suspect is 48 hours from the moment of detention, after which the detainee must either be released or he must be formally charged. Also, according to the requirements of the law, a detainee must have access to a defender from the moment of detention.
Meanwhile, some colleagues of Abdukhalil Kholikzoda from the clinic, in a conversation with Asia-Plus, confirmed his detention and said that last week some people in civilian clothes searched his office and took away documents, a computer and some books.
It is also reported that the authorities searched his apartment in Dushanbe and took away a computer and several books.
Booksellers report that unknown people seized the book published some time ago by Abdukhalil Khalikzod "Events of my life” from all bookstores of the country without explanation.
This is the second book by Abdukhalil Kholikzod, published on March 15 in Dushanbe, in which the author expressed concern about the unfavorable business environment in the country, corruption, and the decline in the level of culture and education.
Some sections of the book caused a heated discussion on social networks, and the author was accused of insulting the dignity of residents of some regions of the country. These discussions have sparked a regional debate among social media users.
