A statement released by Human Rights Watch on February 7 says the Tajikistan authorities should immediately restore full internet connectivity in the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO).
Internet access was cut in the region on November 25, 2021, following large protests in GBAOs’ capital, Khorog, which broke out after security forces killed a 29-year-old resident of GBAO’s Roshtqala district Gulbiddin Ziyobekov.
A spontaneous rally of several thousand people protesting Ziyobekov’s killing spilled into violence as government forces used live fire to disperse the crowd, killing two people and wounding 15 others. Several law enforcement officers are also reported to have been wounded.
The protesters agreed to disperse on the fourth day of rallies after the protesters and the authorities reached the agreement. The authorities agreed to refrain from any kind of persecution of the protesters, to conduct a quick, impartial, and effective investigation into the deaths of Gulbiddin Ziyobekov and two protesters, to restore Internet access in GBAO and terminate the permanent checkpoints in the city.
Group 44 was set up from among the protesters in Khorog to monitor the implementation of agreements reached between the protesters and GBAO’s government. Six members of Group 44 joined the investigation team, which is investigating the circumstances of the death of Gulbiddin Ziyobekov.
However, the authorities have not yet fulfilled any of the terms of the agreement reached between them and protesters on November 28.
Internet connectivity in Khorog is currently only available to employees on the premises of some government institutions, including the police, and the banks.
Tajikistan should also immediately disclose where Amriddin Alovatshoyev is being detained and allow a lawyer of his choosing immediate access to him, the human rights watchdog said, noting that he was forcibly disappeared and returned to Tajikistan from Russia last month.
“Closing down communication in the GBAO region not only violates the right to freedom of expression but is making life difficult and even dangerous for the whole population,” said Syinat Sultanalieva, Central Asia researcher at HRW. “The Tajik authorities should restore access to the internet without any further delays.”
Alovatshoyev, who had been living in Russia, is alleged to have helped organize a picket outside the Tajik embassy in Moscow in November concerning the killings and protests in Khorog, the statement says, noting that family said they have not heard from him since January 11, 2022, when he was detained by Russian law enforcement.
His whereabouts and situation were not revealed until Tajikistan’s prosecutor general said on February 2 that Alovatshoyev was in pretrial detention in Tajikistan facing unspecified criminal charges. Neither Russia nor Tajikistan has accounted for his three weeks in detention between January 11 and February 2, and where he is being detained and under what conditions is still unclear, the statement says, noting that Tajikistan has repeatedly sought to extradite people it sees as political opponents back to Tajikistan as a means of halting their activism.
Concealing information about Alovatshoyev’s detention makes his deprivation of liberty for three weeks an enforced disappearance a very serious violation of international law prohibited in all circumstances.
It is vital that Alovatshoyev enjoys the full protection of the law, Human Rights Watch said. The authorities should immediately ensure and verify that Alovatshoyev has access to a lawyer of his own choosing, has been brought before an independent court to determine the legality of his detention, and is receiving his full due process rights, including contact with his family and medical treatment. He should be released pending a fair trial on any credible charges and provided with redress for the violation of his rights as a result of his forced removal to Tajikistan, according to the statement.
The internet shutdown has reportedly disrupted people’s lives throughout the region, interfering with the functioning of health and educational institutions, and other parts of society. According to media reports, the internet shutdown has already had negative consequences for the economy, trade, and mobility of the region’s residents. Many are forced to travel hundreds of kilometers to send or receive information, make bank transactions, or apply for educational programs.
The shutdown has also interfered with the work of the investigative commission, in particular with its ability to be transparent about its work and progress and receive information from interested parties.
An alliance of national and international organizations published a statement on January 26, calling on the Tajik government to respect the people’s right of access to information by immediately restoring internet connection in the whole of GBAO. The groups noted that this is the latest in a series of internet blockages during times of crisis and unrest in Tajikistan in recent years.
Under Tajik law, government agencies may impose partial or full limits on access to the internet during situations of crisis, such as military or anti-terrorist actions and natural disasters. The authorities have not provided any justifications or made reference to this law in the current blockage.
Under international law, governments can only impose restrictions on online information if they are provided for in law, are a necessary and proportionate response to a specific threat, and are in the public interest. Officials should never use broad, indiscriminate shutdowns to stop the flow of information or hamper people’s ability to express political views, according to the statement.
“The internet shutdown that continues to limit access to information for people in GBAO has already had detrimental impacts on the livelihood of the whole region,” Sultanalieva said. “The authorities should immediately lift all restrictions on access to the internet and facilitate the unhindered flow of information.”
