26 January 2021
Felix Corley, Forum 18
Five conscientious objectors to compulsory military service who had already served sentences were jailed again in trials on 18 and 19 January. Courts gave all five two-year terms, four of them in strict-regime labour camp, bringing to six the number jailed so far in 2021. All had offered to perform an alternative civilian service, but Turkmenistan does not offer this. Nine of the 14 known jailed conscientious objectors – all of them Jehovah s Witnesses – are serving second sentences.
In a series of trials on 18 and 19 January, courts have jailed five more conscientious objectors, all of them Jehovah s Witnesses. As the five young men had previously served sentences for refusing compulsory service on grounds of conscience, four of the five were given two-year terms in strict regime labour camp. All had offered to perform an alternative civilian service, but Turkmenistan does not offer this. Turkmenistan has rejected repeated United Nations
7 January 2021
Felix Corley, Forum 18
Despite his offer to perform alternative civilian service, Khujand Military Court today (7 January) jailed Rustamjon Norov for three and a half years, the longest known sentence. The court claimed the 22-year-old Jehovah s Witness conscientious objector falsified his medical history to evade compulsory military service, charges he denies. While held in a military unit in October 2020, he was threatened with torture if he did not put on a military uniform.
Khujand Military Court in northern Tajikistan today (7 January) jailed Rustamjon Norov, a 22-year-old Jehovah s Witness conscientious objector to military service, for three and a half years. Prosecutors accused prisoner of conscience Norov of falsifying his medical history to evade compulsory military service, charges he denies. He had offered to perform alternative civilian service, but against Tajikistan s international human rights obligations the regime does not offer this.
22 December 2020
Mushfig Bayram, Forum 18, and John Kinahan, Forum 18
Tajikistan restricts freedom of religion and belief, along with interlinked freedoms of expression, association and assembly. Forum 18 s survey analyses violations including: ban on and punishments for all exercise of freedom of religion or belief without state permission; severe limitations on numbers of mosques; jailing of Muslim, Jehovah s Witness and Protestant prisoners of conscience on alleged extremism charges; impunity for torture; jailing of conscientious objectors; and state censorship of religious materials.
Tajikistan has a record of violating freedom of religion or belief and related human rights such as the freedoms of expression and association. Serious violations documented by Forum 18 include but are not limited to:
23 December 2020
Felix Corley, Forum 18
The Samarkand police Struggle with Extremism and Terrorism Department has opened a case against Shia Muslim Rashid Ibrahimov, twice questioning him without a written summons. Officers sent material from his phone, including texts of sermons, to the Religious Affairs Committee for expert analysis . Depending on that, they may bring administrative or criminal charges against him, a source told Forum 18. Officials are hostile to Shia Islam. Human rights defender Doctor Alimardon Sultonov is challenging his 14-month restricted freedom sentence.
On 18 December, police from the Struggle with Extremism and Terrorism Department in the central city of Samarkand opened a case against Shia Muslim Rashid Ibrahimov, the regional police Struggle with Extremism and Terrorism Department head Ulugbek Gainazarov confirmed to Forum 18. He refused to discuss details of the case. The case was opened the same day that Traffic Police stopped Ibrahimov as
15 December 2020
Felix Corley, Forum 18
Shia Muslim, Jehovah s Witness, and Protestant religious communities have all had recent applications to exist refused. In many cases the excuse used has been refusals by local authorities to provide documents as part of the complex, time-consuming and expensive application process. In some cases registration applications have led to reprisals, such as police demands that Protestant Christians renounce their faith.
Many religious communities would like to obtain state permission to exist, but are being blocked from registering, members of communities, who wish to remain anonymous for fear of state reprisals, have told Forum 18. Other communities have not applied, thinking that the authorities will not register them or that they will face police questioning or other reprisals.