Authorities continue to crack down on civil society activists in Badakhshan. The court of the city of Khorog sentenced Muyassar Sadonshoev to 11 years in prison, he was found guilty of treason.
“The whole fault of Muyassar was that he filmed the meetings of the “Commission 44” and posted them on the Internet. So they said in court,” said one of the convict’s relatives. It is not clear what the filming of meetings has to do with treason and what was the logic of the national security service officers who prepared such an indictment.
Recall that in accordance with the Criminal Code of the Republic of Tajikistan, treason against the state can be expressed in espionage, the issuance of state secrets, or other assistance to a foreign state, foreign organization, or their representatives in carrying out hostile activities to the detriment of the sovereignty, territorial integrity, defense capability or external security of the Republic of Tajikistan committed by a citizen of the Republic of Tajikistan.
“Commission 44” was created during the November events of 2021 from among civil society activists of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region and played an active role in negotiating with the authorities and protecting the rights and freedoms of the population of Badakhshan.
Authorities have already convicted two active members of the “Commission 44” – Khujamri Pirnazarov and Shaftol Bekdavlatov, who were sentenced to 18 years in prison last week in Dushanbe, were charged with organizing an unsanctioned rally. The court was behind closed doors, and all the materials of the case are classified.
Another ten civil society activists have been detained and are awaiting their fate in Dushanbe. Human rights activists say that they will all be convicted, most likely under Article 307 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Tajikistan, for extremism.
“We cannot change anything. After the brutal suppression of peaceful rallies and bloodshed, people are broken and no longer believe in the courts or in justice,” said one of the representatives of civil society in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region. “So the relatives of Muyassar Sadonshoev decided not to appeal against the verdict of the court, since they “have no strength for further struggle.”
Muyassar Sadonshoev is known on social networks as Muyassari Kukhistoni. He wrote poems on topical issues and actively spoke on social networks.
