Day: May 6, 2025

The parents of Rukhshona Khakimova, a Tajik journalist sentenced in February 2025 to eight years in prison on charges of treason, have issued an open letter to President Emomali Rahmon, urging him to reconsider their daughter’s case and facilitate her release.

Family Appeals for Clemency

A copy of the letter, signed by Khakimova’s parents, Zokir Khakimov and Makhsuda Sharopova, was published on social media on May 3. In the letter, the couple described their daughter’s upbringing in a family of educators committed to national values, patriotism, and humanism.

Khakimov, a former school director in Kanibadam, and Sharopova, a retired teacher, emphasized their daughter’s achievements. “Our daughter graduated from school and university with honors, received a presidential scholarship, and always worked honestly and within the law,” they wrote. “We can say with complete confidence that Rukhshona could not have committed treason.”

They appealed to Rahmon to intervene, especially considering that Khakimova is the mother of two young children. “We respectfully request and implore you, as the supreme leader of the nation, to take steps for her release,” the letter states.

Background on the Charges

Khakimova, 31, was convicted under Article 305, Part 2, Paragraph “c” of Tajikistan’s Criminal Code, “treason using her official position.” She was sentenced to eight years in prison following a closed trial. Human rights groups claim the charges were linked to her journalistic investigation into China’s influence in Tajikistan.

Complicating the case is the fact that Khakimova is reportedly the niece of an opposition figure sentenced to 18 years for attempting a coup. Prior to her arrest, she had been placed under house arrest, her documents were confiscated, and on February 5, she was detained in the courtroom immediately following the verdict. An appellate court upheld the decision.

Subsequently, about 230,000 somoni, savings intended for purchasing a home, were withdrawn from her bank account. On April 22, she was transferred from a pre-trial detention center in Dushanbe to a women’s correctional facility in Nurek.

Public and International Reaction

Khakimova’s sentencing has sparked condemnation both domestically and abroad. Journalists and human rights advocates described the case as emblematic of worsening conditions for press freedom in Tajikistan. Activists claim she faced repeated threats prior to her arrest.

Earlier this year, a group of women and civil society activists also submitted a letter to Rahmon requesting leniency. International organizations including Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders, and The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders have called for her immediate release.

Despite multiple appeals, Tajik authorities have yet to respond, and the sentence remains in effect.