DUSHANBE, Tajikistan — Rukhshona Khakimova, a journalist and human rights defender, remains arbitrarily detained in Tajikistan after being sentenced to eight years in prison in a secret trial, according to rights groups, who call for her immediate release.
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders—a partnership between the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)—has condemned her detention, calling it a violation of press freedom and due process.
Khakimova, 31, was arrested without a warrant on July 16, 2024, outside her home in Dushanbe. She was later charged with high treason under Article 305 of the Tajik Criminal Code, accused of conspiring against the government in connection with her work on a politically sensitive survey about China’s influence in Tajikistan for the Kyrgyz nonprofit Barometer. The survey reportedly included interviews with opposition figures, who have faced increasing government pressure.
The rights groups said that her case is part of a broader crackdown. In November 2024, Tajik authorities formally charged her alongside her uncle, Shokirjon Khakimov, an opposition leader and first deputy chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Tajikistan. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison in the same case.
The trial was held behind closed doors at a detention facility in Dushanbe, barring the public, the press, and even Khakimova’s family members from attending. OMCT and FIDH have expressed serious concerns about the secrecy of the proceedings, the lack of transparency, and the absence of credible evidence.
Beyond the legal concerns, Khakimova’s imprisonment has taken a severe personal toll, the rights groups said.
A mother of two young children, she has been denied all contact with them since her arrest. At the time, she was still breastfeeding her youngest child, then nine months old. Her mother’s request to bring the infant to the detention facility was rejected. In addition, her property was confiscated, leaving her children’s caretakers in financial distress and forcing them to relocate, according to the rights groups.
Khakimova’s defense team has appealed her conviction, but no date has been set for a hearing. Rights organizations, including OMCT and FIDH, have called for her immediate and unconditional release and urged Tajik authorities to uphold her rights as a journalist and as a mother.
