The trial of a well-known social media blogger and MMA fighter Chorshanbe Chorshanbiev will take place in the pre-trial detention center of the Ministry of Justice. This was announced today, February 23, by the Civil Society Coalition against Torture and Impunity. According to this public organization, the first hearing in the case will take place on Monday, February 28.
Thus, the authorities are trying to kill two birds with one stone: to hold a public trial of Chorshanbiev’s case under pressure from the public and international human rights organizations, but at the same time creating obstacles for those civil society activists and media representatives who decide to go to court hearings in the form of permission to a pass to the building of the pre-trial detention center and in the form of permission from the Chairman of the Somoni District Court to attend court hearings.
The Coalition reported that lawyers tried to resolve the issue of holding the trial in the Somoni District Court building, emphasizing that the consideration of the case by the court in an open format is one of the main guarantees of the right to a fair trial, and the consideration of a criminal case in the pre-trial detention center hinders the access of the media and the public, despite the open format of the meeting proclaimed by the court. However, their petition wasn’t granted. The court openly stated that due to public outcry in the media, a large crowd of people is possible in the courtroom, which will interfere with the “comprehensive and objective consideration of the case” and therefore decided to hold court hearings in the pre-trial detention center.
The Coalition believed that the participation of the media and representatives of international organizations as observers would serve as an additional guarantee of a fair trial in this case.
The criminal case against Chorshanbiev was initiated on December 30, 2021. He was charged with inciting ethnic and religious hatred, as well as public calls for a violent change in the constitutional order in Tajikistan. Later, the investigation found that the actions of Chorshanbe Chorshanbiev didn’t contain signs of a crime aimed at inciting social, racial, national, regional, religious hatred. On January 27, 2022, the investigation announced the end of the investigation and the transfer of the case to court. Now the court will decide whether there were public calls for a violent change in the constitutional order of Tajikistan in the actions of Chorshanbiev.
The Civil Society Coalition against Torture and Impunity in Tajikistan and the lawyers stated that they would make every effort to ensure that the criminal proceedings in court were thorough and comprehensive. They hope that the court will create all conditions for the exercise of the rights and freedoms of Chorshanbiev Ch. and take timely measures to satisfaction of his legal demands and the requirements of his lawyers.
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