The 40-year-old Sulaimon Davlatov, a former member of group 24 and the Congress of Constructive Forces opposition movements, was detained in Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, on April 7, Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service, known locally as Radio Ozodi, reported on April 8.
A court in Vilnius has remanded him into custody for two months on a charge of related to violation of the Lithuania’s national security.
Davlatov’s defense lawyer, Ignotas Sungaila, told Radio Ozodi on April 8 that he will appeal his client’s arrest.
Radio Ozodi notes that Sulaimon Davlatov, a native of Vahdat Township, has lived in Lithuania for nine years and he is known for his online criticism of Tajik authorities.
In 2015, Davlatov was reportedly detained in Finland at the request of Tajik authorities, but later released.
Recall, Tajikistan’s Supreme Court banned Group 24 on October 9, 2014 following growing government pressure on the opposition group after it used the Internet to call for street protests in the capital, Dushanbe, on October 10, 2014. The Supreme Court ruled that Group 24 is an extremist organization, and therefore, it is banned in Tajikistan. Its website and printed materials were also banned.
