HRW: Germany-based Tajik dies in custody

Human Rights Watch dispatch by Hugh Williamson, Director of the Europe and Central Asia Division, dated 11 November 2025 (Berlin), reports the death in custody of Saidazam Rahmonov, a 29-year-old Tajik man who had been living in central Germany since 2019. The report states he was married to a German woman and travelled to Tajikistan in June 2025 to gather documents to extend his German visa. Tajik authorities claim he committed suicide in his cell, but the document reports that relatives say his body showed signs of beatings and torture when returned by prison officials. The article calls for an effective investigation and places the case in a pattern of Tajiks returning from Germany who face abuse. The report states that President Emomali Rahmon has ruled Tajikistan (population 9.7m) for 33 years. It cites prior cases of Abdullohi Shamsiddin — who lived in Dortmund since 2009, was deported by Germany in January 2023 and jailed for seven years after a show trial — and Dilmurod Ergashev, deported in November 2024 from Kleve and reportedly jailed for eight years. The document reports that German court cases in Gelsenkirchen and Muenster in 2025 involved the foreign office telling judges that Tajik government assurances on human rights were credible, which HRW states is insufficient under international non-refoulement obligations. An 18 January 2024 vigil in Dortmund marking Shamsiddin’s deportation is pictured. Internal sources: media reports on Rahmonov, prior HRW coverage.