Tajik Women Unite to Urge Rahmon to Grant Leniency for Journalist Rukhshona Khakimova

A group of 130 women in Tajikistan have appealed to President Emomali Rahmon, requesting leniency for journalist Rukhshona Khakimova, who was sentenced to eight years in prison. A Plea for Mercy In their appeal, the women expressed deep concern over the fate of Khakimova’s two young daughters, one of whom is an infant still in need of breastfeeding. “This verdict has shaken us to the core, but most of all, it has shattered the lives of her two tiny daughters, Shakhnura and Shukrona, who overnight lost the most precious thing a child has, a mother's love, warmth, and care. Ten-month-old Shukrona was deprived not only of her mother’s hands but also of her mother’s milk, which is not just nourishment but the very essence of the mother-child bond. We cannot imagine the pain of these children, who cannot yet speak but already feel the cruel emptiness that nothing and no one can fill,” the letter reads. The signatories emphasized that they were not calling for the sentence to be overturned but rather for clemency. They urged the government to apply legal mechanisms that would allow Khakimova to serve an alternative sentence while remaining with her children. “We believe there are lawful ways to take her motherhood into account and ensure that two young children are not left without maternal care,” the appeal stated. A Controversial Conviction Khakimova was charged with high treason under Article 305 of Tajikistan’s Criminal Code, with the case initiated by the General Prosecutor’s Office in June 2024. According to sources familiar with the investigation, her prosecution is linked to a survey on China’s influence in Tajikistan. She was sentenced on February 5 during a closed trial at the Dushanbe detention center, alongside other defendants in the so-called “coup d’état case”. Before the verdict, she had been allowed to remain free, albeit with restricted movement, due to her responsibilities as a mother. However, her documents had been confiscated, preventing her from traveling. Following the court ruling, she was taken into custody immediately. International Outcry International human rights organizations have condemned the sentence. The International Coalition for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders) has called for Khakimova’s immediate release. Similar statements have been issued by Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF), both of which have criticized the court’s decision.