Tajikistan: Criminalisation and arbitrary detention of journalist Ruhshona Khakimova

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Tajikistan.

Description of the situation:

The Observatory has been informed about the continued arbitrary detention of Ms Rukhshona Khakimova, a 31-year-old prominent independent journalist, human rights defender, and mother of two young children. Throughout her career, Ms Khakimova worked at the Centre for Investigative Journalism of Tajikistan and wrote for the newspaper Molodezh Tajikistan (Youth of Tajikistan) as well as for international outlets.

On 5 February 2025, Tajikistan’s Supreme Court convicted Ms Khakimova of high treason and sentenced her to eight years in prison. Ms Khakimova's prosecution, criminalisation, and arbitrary detention stem from her professional work, specifically her involvement in conducting a politically sensitive poll about China’s influence in Tajikistan for the Kyrgyz NGO Barometer. This survey reportedly included interviews with prominent political figures who are part of the opposition and who have also faced increasing pressure from the Tajik authorities.

In July 2024, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Tajikistan opened a case against Ms Khakimova and others, accusing them of conspiring against the government and participating in an alleged coup d'état.

Ms Khakimova's pretrial hearings began on 14 November 2024, involving multiple defendants accused of conspiring against the government.

On 22 November 2024, Tajik authorities formally presented the indictment against Ms Khakimova and her uncle, Shokirjon Khakimov, the first deputy chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Tajikistan, part of the opposition. Ms Khakimova was officially charged with high treason under Article 305 of the Tajik Criminal Code. These charges are part of a broader investigation into an alleged coup d'état, which lacks credible evidence and appears to be misused to silence critical voices and dissent.

On 5 February 2025, she was convicted of high treason and sentenced to eight years in prison. Her uncle was sentenced to 18 years. Although an appeal request has been submitted, the date of the new hearing has not been disclosed.

Her hearings have taken place under closed proceedings in a detention facility in Dushanbe, excluding the public, the press, and her family members from observing the process. Such secrecy and irregularities raise serious concerns regarding the fairness, transparency, and impartiality of the judicial proceedings against her.

Meanwhile, Ms Khakimova has been denied any contact with her children, who are two years and a half and nine months old. At the time of her arrest, she was still breastfeeding her youngest child. Her mother requested permission to bring the infant to the detention facility, but the authorities refused. Ms Khakimova’s defence team criticised the court's ruling, highlighting that the judicial decision failed to consider her status as a mother. Furthermore, Ms Khakimova’s property and assets were confiscated, leaving her children’s caretakers in a precarious financial situation and forcing them to relocate to another city.

The Observatory condemns the persecution, criminalisation, and arbitrary arrest of Ms Rukhshona Khakimova. It asserts that her arrest constitutes a blatant violation of her right to freedom of expression and represents an attack on the critical role of independent journalism and human rights defenders in a democratic society.

The Observatory also denounces the gross violation of her right to due process and a fair trial.

The Observatory calls for Ms Khakimova’s immediate and unconditional release and urges Tajikistani authorities to respect her rights, including her status as a mother, and to adopt a gender-sensitive and child-rights approach in her case.

Actions requested:

Please write to the authorities of Tajikistan asking them to:

1. Immediately and unconditionally release Ms. Rukhshona Khakimova and all human rights defenders arbitrarily detained in Tajikistan;
2. Guarantee in all circumstances the physical integrity and psychological integrity and well-being of Ms. Khakimova and all human rights defenders in Tajikistan;
3. Respect for Ms. Khakimova’s maternal rights and the adopt of a gender-sensitive approach in all proceedings, as well as take into account the superior interest of her children;
4. Put an end to all acts of harassment – including judicial harassment – against Ms. Khakimova’s and all human rights defenders in Tajikistan;
5. Guarantee, in all circumstances, that all human rights defenders and journalists in Tajikistan can exercise their legitimate activities without fear of reprisals, and free of all undue restrictions, including judicial harassment, arbitrary arrest, deprivation of liberty or other arbitrary sanctions.

Addresses:

• Mr. Enomali Rahmmon, President of the Republic of Tajikistan, H.E. Mr. Emomali Rahmmon. Email: mail@president.tj
• Mr. Muzaffar Ashurion, Minister of Justice of Tajikistan. E-mail: ijozattj@mail.ru
• Mr. Sirojiddin Muhriddin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan. Email: info@mfa.tj
• Mr. Umed Bobozoda, Ombudsperson of Tajikistan. Email: info@ombudsman.tj
• Mr. Habibullo Vohidzoda, General Prosecutor of Tajikistan. Email: info@mfa.tj
• Permanent Mission of the Republic of Tajikistan to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. Email: tajikistanmission@bluewin.ch
• Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan in Brussels, Belgium. Email: taj-emb@edpnet.be

Please also write to the diplomatic representations of Tajikistan in your respective countries.

***

Geneva-Paris, 3 March 2025

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 by the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and FIDH. The objective of this programme is to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rights defenders. OMCT and FIDH are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civil society.

To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line:

· E-mail: alert@observatoryfordefenders.org

· Tel FIDH: + 33 (0) 1 43 55 25 18

· Tel OMCT: + 41 22 809 49 39