Asia Plus: New individuals in coup attempt case

The report states that on 1 November 2024, Radio Ozodi (the Tajik Service of Radio Liberty) reported that two additional individuals had been detained in connection with Tajikistan’s “coup attempt” case, citing an anonymous source close to the investigation. The report states that law enforcement agencies did not officially confirm the arrests. The report states the new detainees were named as former State Committee for National Security (SCNS) officers Nuramin Ghanizoda, a retired colonel and former aide to Hamrokhon Zarifi during Zarifi’s tenure as Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Jamshed Boyev, a retired captain with Russian citizenship who receives a Russian pension. The report states both were detained in June, following the arrest of Hamrokhon Zarifi. The report states other prominent figures facing charges in the alleged coup plot include Saidjafar Usmonzoda (former Democratic Party leader and ex-parliament member), Akbarsho Iskandarov (former chairman of the Supreme Council), Ahmadshoh Komilzoda (journalist and Democratic Party deputy chairman), Hamrokhon Zarifi, Shokirjon Hakimov (first deputy chairman of the Social-Democratic Party), and Abdulfaiz Atoi (former Foreign Ministry spokesman). The report states charges include attempting to seize power by force under Article 306 and inciting national and religious discord under Article 189 of the Criminal Code. The report states Prosecutor General Yusuf Rahmon confirmed criminal proceedings against Zarifi, Iskandarov, Komilzoda and Hakimov.