On November 26, the Izmailovsky court of Moscow found prominent lawyer and human
rights activist Dagir Khasavov guilty in a criminal case of forcing a witness to testify and
sentenced him to six years in prison. The defense will appeal the verdict.
We, the political movement Group 24, want to express our support for Dagir Khasavov
and tell everyone that this is a very worthy, responsive person, a true and enthusiastic
human rights activist, and this is a great injustice – to deprive him of his freedom.
The political opposition to the dictatorial regime is very important for the assistance and
support of lawyers and human rights defenders. But finding a good lawyer is not easy,
because you need to find not only a professional, but also a person who shares our
values and defends them as his own.
One of these lawyers who met on our way was Dagir Khasavov.
This person is known for many resonant affairs and also those that he in open
supported the Tajik opposition ("the Tajik opposition – the best that Tajiks have"…), I drew attention of the whole world to the lawlessness occurring in our country. He did not simply support the ideas of the opposition, but was not afraid to fly to Tajikistan to
see on the spot the monstrous violation of human rights by the Rakhmonov(President
of Tajikistan) regime, which he called dictator, torturer and executioner. He participated
in the preparation and presentation to the world community of a report on numerous
torture, killings and violations of fundamental freedoms and rights in modern Tajikistan.
In September 2016, Dagir Khasavov spoke in Warsaw, at the annual European
conference on human rights and democracy, in defense of the fundamental rights and
freedoms of the Tajik people.
In 2018, thanks to this person, justice prevailed and the Turkish Constitutional Court
decided not to extradite the leaders of our group Sukhrob Zafar and Nasim Sharipov to
Tajikistan. He was able to convince everyone of falsifying the charges, because he
knew perfectly well how ruthlessly the Rakhmonov regime persecutes and deals with
the opposition.
Dagir Khasavov is obviously sympathetic to the Tajiks, and he defended not only
political figures, but also ordinary citizens, realizing how powerless and defenseless
labor migrants in Russia are. One of his last cases, the high-profile case of the
murdered five-year-old girl Huwaido Tillozada. Human rights activists say that this case
is a clear example of the selectivity of the Russian judicial system and such cases of
migrants are extremely reluctant to be investigated by the investigating authorities and
dealt with by the courts. And finding a really good lawyer to our compatriots in such a
situation is very difficult. Unfortunately, Dagir Khasavov could not finish this case, since
he was detained in September 2019.
The political movement "Group 24" expresses its great gratitude to Dagir Khasavov for his work, courage and struggle for the rights and freedoms of the Tajik people.
Dear Dagir Khasavov, you are not alone, hundreds of grateful people, of different
nationalities and affluence, support you and believe in your innocence. The decision of
the Izmailovsky court must be appealed! Do not give up!
Group of 24 political movement
