Tajikistan’s Human Rights Ombudsman, Umed Bobozoda, told reporters in Dushanbe on January 27 that his office has not received any appeals related to the case of high-profile defendants.

“The relatives of well-known political figures in Tajikistan, detained in the ‘coup case,’ have not approached the Ombudsman of Tajikistan for legal assistance,” Bobozoda announced today during a news conference in Dushanbe.

Umed Bobozoda confirmed that he is aware of the case involving the detainees.

He noted that, based on information from social media, close relatives of the detainees are not being allowed to attend court hearings, with only their lawyers being permitted to participate.

“However, despite this, we are unable to take any action because no complaints have been submitted to the Ombudsman by the relatives of the detainees,” said Bobozoda.

According to him, it is currently impossible to intervene in the judicial process, as the case is classified as confidential.

Among the defendants are a former foreign minister, a prominent lawmaker, and two security service colonels who -- according to prosecutors -- joined forces with banned opposition parties to organize armed groups to seize political power in Tajikistan.

Recall, a prosecutor in the trial of those eight political figures asked the Supreme Court on January 8 to sentence them to prison terms ranging from 20 to 30 years.

Thus, the prosecutor requested a 30-year prison sentence for Saidjafar Usmonzoda, former member of the Majlisi Namoayndagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) also former leader of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan, and Hamrokhon Zarifi, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan.

The following are requests from the prosecutor:

• Saidjafar Usmonzoda, MP and former chairman of the Democratic Party – 30 years;
• Hamrokhon Zarifi, ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs – 30 years;
• Akbarshoh Iskandarov, former parliament speaker – 23 years;
• Abdulfaiz Atoi, former Foreign Ministry department head – 23 years;
• Ahmadshoh Komilzoda, former deputy chairman of the Democratic Party – 23 years;
• Shokirjon Hakimov, lawyer and first deputy chairman of the Social-Democratic Party of Tajikistan (SDPT) – 20 years.

The prosecutor had also asked 26-year sentence for two retired colonels from the State Committee for National Security (SCNS), Nouramin Ghanizoda and Jamshed Boyev.

Eight public figures have been tried in secret at the Dushanbe-based pretrial detention facility.  The closed-door trial of them began on November 14.

The defendants, who are charged with state treason and seeking to seize political power in the country by force, denied the charges brought against them.