PEN is deeply concerned by the detention, reportedly on treason charges, of the blogger and academic Alexander Sodiqov. Sodiqov was arrested while carrying out academic research in Khorog, the capital of the autonomous region of Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan, on June 16, 2014. PEN believes that Sodiqov was arrested for practicing his right to freedom of expression, and that the charges against him are politically motivated. We call for his immediate and unconditional release.

Take Action

Join the campaign: Join a campaign set up by friends and supporters to free Sodiqov.

 

Write a letter to Tajik authorities: Your voice matters. Use the information below to write and send a letter.

 

Write to your ambassador to Tajikistan: Addresses can be found here. 

 

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Background Information

Alexander Sodiqov, 31, is a popular blogger on Central Asian issues at Global Voices and the Tajikistan Monitor. He was detained by security officers while interviewing an opposition leader as part of his research into conflict resolution in Gorno-Badakhshan, a region which has recently seen deadly clashes between protesters and local security forces.

 

At first, Sodiqov was held in an unknown location, but news reports now say that he is being held in a detention facility run by the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) in Dushnabe. On June 17, the SCNS issued a statement accusing Sodiqov of spying for foreign governments.

 

Information recently received by PEN appears to confirm news reports that Sodiqov has now been charged with treason, although this has still not been officially confirmed. If convicted on charges of treason, he could face up to 20 years in jail. PEN also understands that Sodiqov has spent at least some of his time in detention in solitary confinement.

 

Sodiqov’s family has been denied contact with him and know little about the charges against him. Sodiqov has not been allowed to consult a defense lawyer of his choosing, but instead has been allocated one by the Tajik authorities.

 

Alexander Sodiqov, a Tajik citizen, is a PhD student at the University of Toronto, Canada. At the time of his arrest he was carrying out research in Gorno-Badakhshan as part of a multi-country research project led by the University of Exeter called Rising Powers and Conflict Management in Central Asia. Sodiqov is married and has a one-year-old daughter. He is an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience.

 

The UN’s Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners state, “An untried prisoner shall be allowed to inform his family of his detention immediately after arrest and communicate with and receive visits from family and friends.” They also strictly prohibit the use of inhumane or degrading disciplinary measures, such as solitary confinement. By denying Alexander Sodiqov the opportunity to communicate with his family, and by placing him in solitary confinement, Tajikistan is violating these basic rules.

 

Gorno-Badakhshan is an autonomous province bordering Afghanistan. Tensions between the authorities in Dushanbe, opposition political groups and local militants have flared in the last couple of years. In July 2012 and May 2014, the region saw violent clashes between central government forces and an armed group.

 

In recent years the Tajik government has severely restricted freedom of expression by intermittently blocking access to independent websites—filing defamation suits against—and generally harassing critical journalists.

Write A Letter

  • Calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Alexander Sodiqov, who has been detained on politically motivated charges of treason;
  • Urging that Sodiqov be allowed access to a defense lawyer of his choosing in line with Tajikistan’s law and international obligations;
  • Demanding that he is allowed access to his family;
  • Urging that he is not subject to torture or other ill treatment, including solitary confinement.

Send Your Letter To

President

Emomali Rahmon

80 Rudaki Street

Dushanbe 734023

Tajikistan

Fax: +992 372 21 68 00

Email: [email protected]

Salutation: Dear President Rahmon

 

Prosecutor General

Sherkhon Salimzoda

126, A. Sino Avenue

Dushanbe 734043, Tajikistan

(Mark faxes and emails, “Please forward to Prosecutor General”)

Fax: +992 372 21 02 59

Email: [email protected]

Salutation: Dear Prosecutor General

 

Chairman, State Committee for National Security

Saimymin Yatimov

Ministry of Security

Ul Gorkogo 8

734025 Dushanbe

Tajikistan

Fax: +992 372 21 23 12