HRW raps Tajikistan for poor human rights record

A leading international rights organization has criticized Tajikistan over its 2013 dismal human rights record, including severe crackdown on political dissent.

In its annual report released on January 21, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Tajik authorities “widened a crackdown on freedom of expression” and “imprisoned opposition leaders” in the run-up to last year’s election, which gave Emomali Rahmon a new term in office as president.

The HRW said the re-election of Rahmon for the fourth consecutive term in office last November “lacked meaningful political competition.”

“Oinihol Bobonazarova, the only genuine independent candidate, was forced to exit the race prematurely in October [2013] after the authorities interfered with her campaign and intimidated her relatives and supporters,” said the report, which devoted six pages to Tajikistan.

The report said “torture remained an enduring problem in 2013” in Tajikistan despite reforms in 2012.

“Torture is often used to coerce confessions and the right to counsel is routinely denied in pretrial custody,” it said.

The report said a leading human rights organization was shut down in Tajikistan on “politically-motivated” charges of investigating torture against army conscripts. The Association of Young Lawyers was shut down after one of its representatives “spoke publicly about the need to monitor severe torture and hazing in Tajikistan’s army.”

The HRW also highlighted the detention of former Prime Minister Abdumalik Abdullanjanov, the kidnapping of Salimboy Shamsiddinov, the head of the Uzbek society of the Khatlon region, and the beating of Mahmadali Hayit, a deputy head of the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan (IRPT).

The report also said opposition leader Umarali Kuvvatov, a former businessman who used to have close ties to President Rahmon’s family, “believes he is being pursued because of his opposition activities and his knowledge of high-level corruption.”

The HRW said former Minister of Industry Zaid Saidov was detained for creating the opposition political party, New Tajikistan.

Sherik Karamkhudoev, an IRPT leader, was handed down 14 years in jail for “participating in mass disorders” in an in-camera trial.

“Karamkhudoev was reported missing in April 2012 after government troops launched a military operation in his home region. He resurfaced two weeks later in security services custody in Dushanbe. His lawyers and family publicly stated that he was tortured in pretrial detention,” said the report.