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Germany has decided to deport Dilmurod Ergashev, a political activist and member of the Movement for Reforms and Development of Tajikistan, who had applied for asylum in Germany. This is despite requests from international human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch and the Helsinki Committee not to deport Ergashev because of the risk of him being tortured in Tajikistan. Friends of the activist said Ergashev was told to report to the deportation center and prepare to leave. The activist, who has lived in Germany for the past 13 years, was detained in the town of Kleve on October 28 and taken to the administrative court, where his deportation was ordered. According to associates, the court should have considered that another administrative court was still considering Ergashev's application for political asylum. Sharofiddin Gadoev, leader of the Movement for Reforms and Development, confirmed that the deportation process has already begun. Ergashev is likely to be sent back to Tajikistan on November 6. “The decision to deport Ergashev strengthens the authoritarian system in Tajikistan and increases fear among political activists,” Gadoev said. He said there may be an agreement between Germany and Tajikistan to deport activists forcibly. Ergashev's lawyer has filed an appeal with the Supreme Court but is unavailable for comment. Dozens of Tajik citizens have moved to Europe in recent years, many of whom disagree with their country's policies. Germany has previously deported activists such as Abdullo Shamsiddin and Bilol Kurbonaliev, who were sentenced to long prison terms upon their return home. Also extradited from Austria to Tajikistan in 2020 was Hizbullo Shovalizoda, a member of the banned Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan. He has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Two more people have been detained in Tajikistan as part of an alleged coup attempt case involving prominent figures in the country, Radio Ozodi has reported, citing an anonymous source. Official agencies have yet to confirm the information, and journalists have yet to be able to procure comments. According to the source, the detainees include former GKNB (State Committee on National Security) officers Nuramin Ganizoda and Jamshed Boyev. Ganizoda, a retired colonel, was formerly an aide to former Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi and worked briefly in Tajikistan's Audit Chamber. Boyev, known only as a retired captain, holds Russian citizenship and receives a pension there. Both were detained in June, shortly after Zarifi's arrest. Saidjafar Usmonzoda, former chairman of the Democratic Party and ex-member of parliament, has been detained in this high-profile case since June. Others involved include Akbarsho Iskandarov, former chairman of Tajikistan’s Supreme Soviet; Ahmadshokh Komilzoda, journalist and deputy chairman of the Democratic Party; Hamrokhon Zarifi; Shokirjon Hakimov, first deputy chairman of the Social Democratic Party; and Abdulfayz Atoi, former spokesperson for the Tajik Foreign Ministry. The detainees face charges of attempted forcible seizure of power and incitement of inter-ethnic hatred. These charges carry significant prison sentences. In August, Prosecutor General Yusuf Rakhmon said several other people were under investigation without revealing their names. The case was initially scheduled to go to the Supreme Court in September, but was returned for further investigation. It has not been possible to contact the detainees or their relatives - the case has been classified, and there are no official comments from the Prosecutor General's Office.
The Moscow City Court has sentenced Firuz Dadoboev, a Tajikistan-born Russian citizen, to 13.5 years in a strict regime penal colony on charges of high treason (under Article 275 of Russia’s Criminal Code) for actions benefitting the United States. According to reports, Dadoboev, an IT specialist at a Moscow-based company, allegedly obtained classified information unlawfully. Investigators claim he intended to pass this information to a U.S. intelligence representative, having reportedly contacted the CIA. The Federal Security Service (FSB) stated that Dadoboev confessed and expressed remorse. Along with the prison term, he was fined 300,000 rubles (about $3,000). On October 29, TASS released a video showing his arrest and sentencing. His detention was initially reported in December 2022, when he was held in the Lefortovo detention center. Previously, The Times of Central Asia has reported that Russia is recruiting immigrants to the war with Ukraine. Central Asian migrants say that Russia threatens those who refuse to participate in the war with imprisonment.
Sabina Rosas, a 33-year-old artist also known as Sabina Khorramdel, was found murdered in a hotel room in the Hamptons in the state of New York, according to the British tabloid the Daily Mail. Born in Tajikistan, Rosas moved to the U.S. in 2009. Her body was discovered on October 28 by staff at the Shou Sugi Ban House spa hotel. Police suspect her partner, 56-year-old Thomas Gannon, in the murder. Gannon was later found dead at his Pennsylvania home, with authorities confirming he had died by suicide. The couple had been seen together at a spa in Water Mill, where CCTV captured Gannon leaving alone. Suffolk County police have described Rosas’s murder as a domestic incident. In 2023 Rosas co-founded Ruyò Journal, a platform to support Central Asian cultural dialogue and community. Just before her birthday, she started a fundraiser to travel to Portugal, where she planned to host her first artist residency in November. She hoped it would provide a beautiful and inspiring space for creating new work. Announcing her plans, she had said: “I will also launch my artist website to create the perfect digital space to showcase my art." “As I am about to turn 33, I can’t help but laugh at the fact that 33 is often associated with the age of Jesus when he made his final sacrifice. Although I don’t plan on doing anything dramatic, I consider this year a turning point in my life,” Sabina wrote shortly before her death.
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon has called on law enforcement agencies to stop prosecuting citizens for their activity on social media, particularly for likes and comments. Rahmon said this at the opening of a new training institute for Interior Ministry personnel, timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Constitution and the Day of the Tajik Police. In Tajikistan, even adding simple “likes” on posts by opposition figures, or reposting their videos, can lead to arrest. Since 2016, the country's Criminal Code has included a provision on “public justification of extremism,” which allows law enforcement agencies to equate likes with support for extremist ideas. For example, in August 2023, 70-year-old Kamoliddin Sharofov was sentenced to five years for liking posts on a banned website. Rahmon expressed concern over the growth of unfounded criminal cases against social media users, and noted that law enforcement agencies' actions undermine public confidence. He called for restraint, emphasizing that any police action should show respect for citizens' rights and the principles of democracy. The Tajik government has previously been criticized by the opposition and international organizations, including the U.S. State Department, for arresting citizens for their online activities.
On the morning of October 26, news broke that six prisoners had escaped from a penal colony in Russia’s Lipetsk region. The escapees—five from Uzbekistan and one from Tajikistan—had been planning their escape for over six months. They stole tools seven months prior and used them to dig two tunnels. The Lipetsk prison is where the infamous Aleksey Sherstobitov is serving a 23-year sentence. Sherstobitov, known as 'Lyosha the Soldier', was a notorious hitman in the 1990s, working for the infamous Orekhovskaya crime group. Law enforcement has detained five of the six prisoners, who escaped through a dug tunnel. The prisoners, all convicted of rape and drug trafficking, had planned to reach the Kazakhstan border but only managed to travel a few dozen kilometers toward Tambov and Moscow. The search for the remaining escapee is ongoing. A criminal case has been opened for negligence against the colony officials who allowed the prisoners to escape. If found guilty they could face up to seven years in prison under Article 293 of the Russian Criminal Code.
