Tajik Court Hands Down Stiff Sentences In Secretive Treason Trial

DUSHANBE -- The Tajik Supreme Court has delivered guilty verdicts in a controversial high-profile treason case, handing lengthy prison terms to former senior government officials and politicians who were accused of plotting to overthrow authoritarian President Emomali Rahmon.

After a monthslong trial that occurred behind closed doors inside a detention center known for its strict security measures, the court gave 27-year sentences to both Tajik Ex-Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi and the leader of the opposition Democratic Party and ex-lawmaker Saidjafar Usmonzoda.

Shokirjon Hakimov, first deputy leader of the opposition Social Democratic Party of Tajikistan; Ahmadshoh Komilzoda, a former deputy chairman of the Democratic Party; Akbarshoh Iskandarov, an ex-speaker of parliament; and Nuramin Ganizoda, a retired colonel from the State Committee for National Security, were all given 18 years in prison.

Abulfaiz Atoi, a former Foreign Ministry press secretary, received a 17-year prison term.

The court also sentenced journalist Rukhshona Hakimova to eight years in prison. Authorities have not disclosed the specific nature of the reporter's alleged crime, citing state confidentiality. However, reports suggest that her prosecution on a treason charge was linked to an article she wrote about China’s influence in Tajikistan.

The defendants were denied public hearings, and their families were barred from attending the proceedings. Lawyers were also bound by nondisclosure agreements and independent media were denied access to the courtroom.

Authorities cited national-security concerns as the reason for the secrecy.

Despite the clandestine nature of proceedings, however, sources close to the investigation told RFE/RL on condition of anonymity that many of the accused rejected the charges made by the Prosecutor-General's Office.

Iskandarov and Komilzoda, for instance, stated that their convictions were based on insufficient evidence, according to the sources.

During earlier hearings in December 2024, several defendants also reportedly denied all the allegations and complained of being coerced by investigators.

With few details about the trial emerging, the lack of transparency has fueled speculation that it was politically motivated.

Authorities have framed the case as an attempt to prevent an overthrow of the government, but human rights activists and international observers have said the trial is part of a broader crackdown on dissent.

With Tajikistan’s judicial system largely under the government's control, it's likely that any appeals lodged against the sentences will have little impact.

Rahmon, who has run Tajikistan with an iron fist for more than three decades, has been criticized by international human rights groups over his regime's stifling of political pluralism, independent media, religious freedoms, and civil society.