A prosecutor in the trial of independent journalist Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda on December 16 asked a court in Dushanbe’s Ismoili Somoni court to sentence Abdusattor to a seven-year prison term.  Abdusattor himself pleads not guilty.  A verdict is expected within the next few days. 

One of Abdusattor’s relatives has confirmed this information in an interview with Asia-Plus and noted that Abdusattor pleaded not guilty to all charges brought against him.  

“His defense lawyer has presented evidence against all the charges brought against Abdusattor and proved his innocence.  But  we see that the judge has not taken into account these facts,” the relative said. 

Abdusattor’s defense lawyer Muhababtshoh Ballayev has confirmed that the prosecutor asked to sentence his client to seven years in prison.   At the same time, according to him, nothing was said about the date of the announcement of the verdict. 

Recall, the trial of blogger and journalist Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda started on October 13 behind doors.  

Pirmuhammadzoda was detained in Vahdat Township on July 9.  He had been charged with publicly calling for extremist activities.        

Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda worked at the state-owned radio station Sadoi Dushanbe (Voice of Dushanbe) until 2019, when he quit after reportedly being given the choice between moderating his critical reporting and resigning.

Pirmuhammadzoda has reportedly published his personal views on free speech and alleged government injustices on his YouTube channel, where he has about 39,000 subscribers.   

Meanwhile, the Dushanbe city court has rejected an appeal by Zavqibek Saidamini. His relatives say the Dushanbe city court has upheld the verdict of the Ismoili Somoni court against Zavqibek Saidamini.

Recall, the court in Dushanbe’s Ismoili Somoni district sentenced Zavqibek Saidamini to seven years in prison on November 3.  The journalist pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him.

Zavqibek’s relatives told Asia-Plus that they are concerned about the state of his health.  According to them, Zavqibek suffers from back pain.

A lawyer representing Zavqibek Saidamini reportedly denounced the ruling and vowed to appeal to the Supreme Court of Tajikistan.

The trial of Zavqibek Saidamini was also held at the Dushanbe-based pretrial detention center behind closed doors.  He was charged with participating in an extremist group.  The charge stems from Saidamini’s links to two banned opposition parties, the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) and Group 24.

According to some sources, he has repeatedly denied supporting any political group.  Both organizations also deny any cooperation with the journalist.

In a statement wrote on November 16, Saidamini says he does not agree with the verdict of the Ismoili Somoni court, noting that investigation and consideration of the case were one-sided and incomplete.  According to him, the judge did not take into account the evidence presented and the testimony of some witnesses.  

International groups, including Human Rights Watch and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), have called on the Tajik government to release the reporters and end its campaign against the free press.

A report released by the CPJ on December 14 says Tajikistan held six journalists, making it the leading jailer in Central Asia.  The report, in particular, notes that the prisoners were tried secretly behind closed doors in detention centers, not courts, and sentenced to lengthy prison terms amid allegations of torture.

Recall, six Tajik journalists and bloggers Mamadsulton Mavlonazarov, Abdulloh Ghurbati, Daler Imomali, Zavqibek Saidamini, Khoushrouz Jumayev and Ulfatkhonim Mamadshoyeva were sentenced to prison terms of between seven and twenty-one  years.

They were charged with spreading false information, participation in extremism community and collaboration with banned organization.  The journalists themselves and their relatives reject these charges as absolutely unfounded.     

Ranked 152nd out of 180 countries in RSF's 2022 World Press Freedom Index, Tajikistan has fallen 36 places in the index since 2015.