A court in Lithuania on June 4 refused to extend the detention of Tajik opposition activist Sulaimon Davlatov, ordering his immediate release.
Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service, known locally as Radio Ozodi, says Davlatov was arrested in early April on an unspecified charge related to an alleged violation of the Baltic country's national security.
Earlier, Radio Liberty reported that Sulaimon Davlatov, who is the former member of Group 24 and the Congress of Constructive Forces opposition movements, was detained in Finland in 2015 at request of the Tajik authorities, but later he was released.
The 40-year-old Davlatov, who has lived in Lithuania for nine years, was reportedly detained in Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, on April 7 and 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.
The Lithuanian public broadcaster, Lithuanian Radio and Television (LRT), reported on June 6 that Lithuania’s General Prosecutor said at that time that Davtalov had alleged connections “to members and supporters of terrorist organizations”, which he later denied.
In May, Davtalov reportedly also asked Vilnius to restore his asylum status and prevent him from being deported to Tajikistan.
Sulaimon Davlatov, a native of Vahdat Township, is known for his online criticism of the Tajik authorities.
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.
