Khairullo Mirsaidov (40 y.o.) the head of the KVN team in Tajikistan, also known for being an independent journalist who has worked with such publications as Deutsche Welle, ASIA-Plus and Fergana, was detained by the Tajik authorities on December 5. He was charged with 4 articles of the Criminal Code of Tajikistan: Part 4 of Article 245 “Misappropriation and Embezzlement”, Article 189 “Incitement of national, racial, local or religious hatred”, Article 340 “Forgery, production or sale of forged documents, state awards, stamps, seals, forms” and Article 346 “Calumny”. In total, the resulting sentence could be more than 10 years. Currently, Mirsaidov is being detained in detention centre of Khujand. His lawyer and close relatives have access to visit him. According to the father of the detainee, his health is not endangered, but it is known that ill-treatment and torture in the detention centers of Tajikistan are very common. Moreover, Mirsaidov and his close relatives, may be keeping silent about the reality of the matter in fear that Mirsaidov might receive “responsive” measures such as the deprivion of visits with relatives and the transfer of food. Such a practice is widespread not only in Tajikistan, but also in many post-Soviet countries.
Another important fact is the classification of secrecy put on the Khairullo Mirsaidov’s case. It is known from Tajik media outlets that Mirsaidov’s lawyer told reporters that “Khairullo does not complain about the conditions of his detention and his state of health. He can not say anything more about the circumstances because of the security classification and a non-disclosure pact on the case”. After this publication, the regional prosecutor was criticized for illegally use of the secrecy classification.
Almost two months later, when the investigation is nearly over, a few days ago the prosecutor of Sughd province, Habibullo Vohidov, stated at a press conference that Mirsaidov’s case is not classified as secret and, upon the conclusion of the investigation, all the facts of the crimes committed will be made available in detail.
Thus, the position of defense and accusations remain incomprehensible. Furthermore, in the course of the initial financial check, the material damage allegedly inflicted by Mirsaidov was 16,000 Somoni (about $1,700 US dollars), then they established 28,000 Somoni (about $3,000 US dollars), and in the final version (although unknown) they announced 300,000 Somoni (more than $30,000 US dollars). Such obvious inconsistencies suggest the artificial nature of the accusations.
The events that resulted in the detention of Khairullo Mirsaidov began with the coming to power of Olim Zokhidzoda, who heads the Department for Youth and Sport of the Sughd Region. According to Khairullo, in his open letter to Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Tajik Prosecutor General Yusuf Rahmon and Sogd Region President Abdurrahmon Kodiri, the new head of the Department for Youth and Sports of Sogd Region demanded a bribe of $1,000 US dollars, obliging him to “misuse public funds “. Mirsaidov responded with a complaint about the illegal actions of Olim Zohidzoda in the Hukumat of the Sughd region (author’s note – local government). However, instead of investigating this case, the Sughd region Prosecutor’s Office began checking on the activities of the KVN team, which Khairullo Mirsaidov has managed since 2014. Meanwhile, local authorities stopped all funding for the KVN team, jeopardizing all of the team’s activities, ultimately leading to the disruption of important performances at international festivals. Having found himself in a very difficult situation, Mirsaidov, as the head of the KVN team, appealed for help in resolving the situation with an open letter to the head of state, after which resulted in his arrest.
It is evident that human rights in Tajikistan are being violated more and more lately. The right to freedom of speech and expression under the guise of security is limited to the government and the national security service. Tajikistan is characterized by strict censorship of printed and electronic media, carried out both by the State Committee for National Security (GKNB) and by the Ministry of Culture. There is no place for public expression in the country, the national media are controlled by the government, and non-state information sources that try to objectively inform civil society about the situation in the country, the authorities exert hard pressure and create conditions in which their activities become impossible.
The Human Rights Vision Foundation calls on the Tajik government not to restrict freedom of speech and hold people accountable for expressing “disagreeable” opinions. We urge Khairullo Mirsaidov to be released from illegal arrest and to guarantee the fulfillment of the obligations of the Government of Tajikistan entrusted to him by an international legal treaty regarding freedom of speech.
