At a news conference held in Dushanbe on February 13, Shavkat Lutfullozoda, First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Court of Tajikistan, commented on the case of journalist Rukhshona Hakimova.

He stated that, citing the Law on State Secrets, the Supreme Court cannot yet disclose details of the case.

"The judicial panel has already made its decision.  If either party disagrees with the verdict, they have the right to appeal it in the cassation court, as the sentence has not yet entered into legal force," said Lutfullozoda.

Case background and sentencing

On February 5, a Tajik court sentenced journalist Rukhshona Hakimova to 8 years in prison on charges of treason (Article 305 of the Criminal Code of Tajikistan).

The prosecutor had initially sought a 17-year sentence. Until the verdict, Hakimova remained free due to having two young children, but she was arrested in the courtroom immediately after the sentence was announced.

Lutfullozoda emphasized that treason is classified as an “especially serious crime”, carrying a sentence of 15 to 25 years or life imprisonment.

“By law, Article 78 of the Criminal Code (which allows for sentence suspension) does not apply in such cases, meaning Hakimova cannot receive a delay in serving her sentence," he stated.

Possible links to the “coup case”

The charge of treason against Hakimova stems from a public survey she conducted on China's influence on Tajikistan as part of her work as a reporter last year.   

According to available information, Hakimova’s case may be linked to her survey on “China’s Influence on Tajikistan", which was previously answered by several individuals convicted in the "coup plot" case, including Saidjafar Usmonzoda, former head of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan, sentenced to 27 years in prison, and Shokirjon Hakimov, deputy chairman of the Social-Democratic Party of Tajikistan and Hakimova’s uncle, sentenced to 8 years in prison.

Who is Rukhshona Hakimova?

Rukhshona Hakimova, 31, is a graduate of the Journalism Faculty of the National University of Tajikistan. She worked at the Center for Investigative Journalism and some other media organizations.

She has two young children.