The National Alliance of Tajikistan, an organization banned in Tajikistan and representing a coalition of organizations opposition to the Tajik authorities, condemned the arrest of Abdukodir Rustam, a famous Tajik writer and educator, calling it “an attack on the spirituality of the nation.”
An official statement from the alliance, published on August 2, said: “We believe that after the authorities of Tajikistan arrested politicians, journalists and human rights activists, the authoritarian regime now wants to heavily censor the literary sphere in the country and thus create the basis for brainwashing the people of Tajikistan.” .
The famous Tajik writer Abdukodir Rustam was arrested, according to information from his relatives and colleagues, on August 31 in Dushanbe near his place of work – at the Ibn Sino international clinic in Dushanbe.
Law enforcement agencies of Tajikistan have not commented on his arrest so far, but many associate this incident with the publication of the book “Khavodisi ruzgori man”, the author of which, Abdukhalil Kholikzoda, head of the Ibn Sino clinic, was arrested on charges of “inciting a national, religious and regional enmity.” Abdukodir Rustam is one of the editors of this book.
The detention of the Tajik writer was previously condemned by social media users from among the intelligentsia, as well as other organizations opposed to the Tajik government, such as Group 24, Vatandor, and demanded the unconditional release of Abdukodir Rustam.
For years, the Tajik government has been criticized internationally for cracking down on dissidents, arresting and imprisoning journalists, and for pressuring the independent press. Over the past year and a half alone, eight journalists and bloggers have been sentenced in Tajikistan to terms ranging from 7 to 21 years for allegedly collaborating with banned organizations. The accusations, which human rights activists and the prisoners themselves call fabricated.
Source : ozodi
