The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan announced at a press conference on July 19 that journalist Abdullo Gurbati is suspected of collaborating with the banned Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT).
Abdullo Gurbati was detained on June 15 on suspicion of using violence against a government official. On June 18, by the decision of the court of the Shohmansur district of the capital, he was taken into custody for a period of two months. The police department and the prosecutor’s office of the Shokhmansur district accused Gurbati of allegedly beating a police officer. A month later, on July 19, at a press conference at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it turned out that the journalist was suspected of collaborating with the banned IRPT. This was announced to the media representatives by the head of the Department for Combating Organized Crime of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan, Shodi Hafizzoda. At the same time, official representatives of the IRPT denied this accusation, saying that Abdullo Gurbati is in no way connected with them.
Gurbati is a co-author and cameraman of a number of reports by the detained journalist and blogger Daleri Imomali, and he was summoned to the Shohmansur district police department for interrogation in the case of illegal business activities against Daler Imomali.
But after he left the investigator’s office and went to the checkpoint of the police department, a police officer blocked his way. “I had no thoughts or intentions to conflict with the police officers. They let me go. I wanted to get out, but at the checkpoint, an officer of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Shokhmansur district blocked my way. Then I was detained and returned to the building of the department. Now they are accusing me of beating a policeman,” Abdullo Gurbati, the lawyer, told reporters.
Later, a non-disclosure agreement was taken from the lawyer about the materials and details of the case.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on the Tajik authorities to immediately release Tajik bloggers Daleri Imomali and Abdullo Gurbati.
The website of this international human rights organization posted the material “Tajikistan: free bloggers, respect freedom of the media”, which states that “Imomali and Gurbati are persecuted for their professional activities, despite the fact that they are protected by the laws of Tajikistan and international obligations regarding freedom of expression and freedom of the media.
According to Syinat Sultanaliyeva, HRW’s Central Asia researcher, “Criticism of state bodies is not a crime and therefore bloggers should be immediately released and all charges against them should be dropped.”
Tajikistan has long used the practice of persecuting journalists and bloggers for their critical opinions. The Communications Service of Tajikistan routinely blocks websites containing potentially critical information about the government, including the website of Radio Ozodi and Asia Plus. Authorities also routinely deny accreditation to journalists from the country’s only independent media outlet on Tajik radio service Free Europe, while harassing journalists from other outlets for covering sensitive issues and events, HRW said.
The Tajik authorities must respect freedom of speech and stop obstructing journalists in their professional activities. The country’s regional and international partners should also demand that Tajikistan fulfill its human rights obligations.
