Human Rights Watch, an international human rights organization, called on the Tajik authorities to stop the practice of illegal detentions and unfair trials of residents of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, where peaceful rallies were suppressed in May this year.
HRW’s August 23 statement on the situation in GBAO stated: “The Tajik authorities must put an end to the persecution and uphold their international obligations to ensure a fair trial.”
According to information available to human rights activists and international organizations, during the May events in this remote region, about 40 local residents were killed and more than 200 were detained, whose relatives claim that they took part in peaceful protests and did not have weapons in their hands.
Human Rights Watch notes that all of these detainees may be unfairly convicted: “Trials of persons accused of serious crimes are taking place in the absence of access to lawyers and without providing evidence of their guilt, which is illegal.”
In addition to Human Rights Watch, many international organizations have already called for an end to lawlessness, but the authorities of Tajikistan, using the geopolitical situation and knowing that now none of the leading countries will pay attention to their actions, trying to draw Tajikistan into their spheres of influence, continue illegal detentions and arrests of any citizens who disagree with the policies.
