Pressure on independent journalists in Tajikistan continues

On February 5, 2025, 31-year-old journalist Rukhshona Hakimova was sentenced to 8 years in prison on charges of treason; the details of the case are classified.

Rukhshona Hakimova

On January 10, 2025, 63-year-old Ahmad Ibrohim, editor-in-chief of the Payk newspaper in Khatlon Province, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of bribery and extremism, which he denies.

Reporters Without Borders has labeled Ahmad's case as a "Sham Trial in Tajikistan". With the Head of RSF's Eastern Europe and Central Asia Desk, Jeanne Cavelier stating:

“The arbitrary sentencing of Ahmad Ibrohim to ten years in prison is a death sentence for independent journalism in Khatlon, one of Tajikistan's four provinces. This sentence — the result of an opaque trial with no right to defence — is yet another display of the Tajik authorities’ determination to muzzle the last bastions of the independent press. RSF calls for the immediate release of Ahmad Ibrohim and the other journalists imprisoned in Tajikistan."

The charges of "extrimism", "bribery", and on many occasions the "forceful changes to constituional order" have been used loosely to detain and imprison journalists and activists who are perceived as a threat to the ruling authoritarian government.

Ahmad Ibrohim

Previously, in 2022, journalists and bloggers Abdullo Gurbati, Daler Imomali, Zavkibek Saidamini, Ulfathonim Mamadshoeva, Khushruz Jumayev, Abdusattor Pirmukhammadzoda, Mamadsulton Mavlonazarov, and Khurshed Fazilov were arrested and convicted.

Arrests and pressure continue despite condemnation from international human rights organizations and some Western countries.

Freedom House, a notable organization that tracks freedom of expression globally, has scored Tajikistan with 5 out of 100, this is a decrease from 2024 scoring that saw Tajikistan with a 7 out of 100 freedom level.

Their Tajikistan profile states:

The authoritarian regime of President Emomali Rahmon severely restricts political rights and civil liberties. The political opposition has been devastated by a sustained campaign of repression in recent years, and the government exerts tight control over religious expression and activity.

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