Forum18: Russia Wanted List (TJ names)

Forum 18 News Service article by Felix Corley and Victoria Arnold, dated 16 February 2024, documenting that Russia’s Interior Ministry Federal Wanted List included at least 43 individuals facing criminal charges for exercising freedom of religion or belief. The document reports the list includes 3 opponents of Russia’s war against Ukraine on religious grounds; 6 Muslim Nursi readers from Russia; 16 Jehovah’s Witnesses from Russia plus 4 from Russian-occupied Crimea; 3 people wanted by Belarus; 3 by Kazakhstan; 2 by Tajikistan; and 6 by Uzbekistan. The article states the Mediazona outlet published the full list on 13 February, containing 95,994 individuals in total. Forum 18 names the two individuals wanted by Tajikistan as Rustamjon Saiburkhonovich Joniyev (born 1974) and Anora Badilzamonovna Sarkorova (born 1974), described as a married couple of exiled human rights defenders and journalists who have written about violations against Ismaili Muslims in Mountainous Badakhshan Region. Sarkorova told Forum 18: “This will not break us, and we will continue reporting on human rights violations.” The document describes the Federal Wanted List mechanism (federalny rozysk) governed by Criminal Procedural Code Article 210 and Article 78 on statute of limitations. Russia issued Interpol Red Notices against Timur Atadzhanov (2018) and Ashurali Magomedeminov (2020); Interpol withdrew the Magomedeminov notice in 2022. Sources cited: Mediazona, Human Rights Watch, Norwegian Helsinki Committee, SOVA Research Center, Novaya Gazeta, Advokatskaya Gazeta, Narodny Yurist.