According to the Independent Human Rights Protection Center, father of the jailed journalist Daler Sharifov, Abdumannon Sharifov, yesterday applied to Ombudsman with a request to monitor his son’s health in connection with the complaint of the son of heart pain. 

Meanwhile, Daler’s father has told Asia-Plus that they are also writing a letter to the chief of the Main Penitentiary Directorate.  

“Our son has heart problems and he must be under medical supervision in a hospital at least one month,” Abdumannon Sharifov told Asia-Plus in an interview.  

He further added that they were ready to cover all treatment costs.  

Recall, a court in Dushanbe’s Shohmansour district sentenced freelance journalist Daler Sharifov to one year in prison on April 16.

The sentence followed his conviction on charges of inciting ethnic, racial, regional or religious enmity (Article 189 of Tajikistan’s Penal Code).  Sharifov will serve his term in a standard regime penal colony.  

Sharifov's lawyer, Abdurahmon Sharifov, said after the verdict that his client rejected the charges brought against him.

Sharifov's relatives, human rights organizations, and media-freedom groups have rejected the accusations brought against him as unfounded.

International media-freedom watchdogs have called extremism charges brought against the journalist “absurd.”

According Eurasianet, Daler Sharifov most recently worked for the independent news website Ozodagon, which was forced to close shop in 2019.  Most of the staff at the newspaper, including its founder Zafar Sufi, have reportedly sought asylum in Europe.  After Ozodagon folded, Sharifov remained in Dushanbe and continued to work freelance, writing about government campaigns to pressure women into refraining from wearing hijabs and other rights violations, according to Eurasianet.

Daler Sharifov had previously worked with Tajik national TV channel Safina as author and host of the program “Mushoirat” (Communicating).