Asia-Plus: Суровый приговор Хакимовой суд не учёл младенца

Asia-Plus article dated 6 February 2025 reporting reactions to the 8-year prison sentence handed down by Tajikistan’s Supreme Court to journalist Рухшона Хакимова (Rukhshona Khakimova) for “state treason”. The article reports the verdict was announced on 5 February in the Dushanbe SIZO behind closed doors alongside the other “coup case” defendants. Khakimova is reported to be the niece of Шокирджон Хакимов (Shokirjon Khakimov), sentenced in the same case to 18 years. The article reports her case was opened seven months earlier; before the verdict she was at liberty because she has two young children, but her documents had been seized. After sentencing she was taken into custody in the courtroom. The article reports the case was classified and authorities have not commented. The article quotes her lawyer Туроб Дилаев (Turob Dilaev) saying the judge applied Article 63 of the Criminal Code to reduce the sentence but “did not take into account that she has an infant”; he noted Article 78 of the Criminal Code provides for postponement of punishment for women with children under 8, until the child reaches 8 years of age. Her older child is reported to be 2.5 years old; the younger is 9 months. The article reports the court confiscated the family’s savings set aside for buying housing. The article quotes journalism-community reactions describing the sentence as “shocking” and “overly harsh”: Нуриддин Каршибоев (Nuriddin Karshiboev), head of the National Association of Independent Media of Tajikistan; Хуршед Атовулло (Khurshed Atovullo), director of the Centre for Journalistic Research; Гульнора Амиршоева (Gulnora Amirshoyeva), head of the Coalition of Women Journalists of Tajikistan; and Сыйнат Султоналиева (Syinat Sultanalieva) of Human Rights Watch, who stated Khakimova was the ninth journalist sentenced to a long term. The article reports the Union of Journalists of Tajikistan and the Media Council declined to comment. Relatives plan to appeal. Sources cited in the article: interviews with the lawyer and husband of Khakimova, Radio Ozodi, and HRW.