Rakhmatjoni Mahmadzhon sentenced by the Rakhmonov regime to 20 years

 From the very first hours of the disappearance in Russia of Rakhmatjoni Mahmadzhon, May 18, 2021, the political movement “Group 24” took care of his fate and did everything possible to determine his whereabouts. We sincerely hoped that we would have time to prevent his illegal transfer to the Tajik authorities. A lawyer was immediately connected to the case.

On May 27, at the request of the leader of the political movement “Group 24”, Sukhrob Zafar, a response was received from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation that the wanted person had left the Russian Federation and made recommendations to contact the law enforcement agencies of Tajikistan about the search. On June 10, a response was received to the request of our lawyer from the Internal Affairs Directorate for CJSC of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in Moscow, which reported that “wanted Rakhmatjoni M. 18.05.2021 left the Russian Federation and flew number SZ-202 from Domodedovo Airport (Moscow) in the direction to Dushanbe, Republic of Tajikistan.”

Our appeals to the Russian authorities no longer yielded results and they stopped contacting us and refused to investigate the circumstances of the frankly involuntary departure to Tajikistan of Rakhmatjoni Mahmajon.

And recently it became known that in early September this year, the Dushanbe City Court considered the criminal case of Rahmatjoni Mahmadzhon. By the decision of the Dushanbe City Court, Rahmatjoni Mahmajon was convicted under the following articles:

Article 187.

Establishment of a criminal community (criminal organization)

P.1 Creation of a criminal community (criminal organization) for the commission of serious or especially serious crimes, as well as the management of such an association (organization) or its components, as well as the creation of an association of organizers, leaders or other representatives of organized groups, creating conditions for the commission of serious and especially serious crimes

Article 189.

Incitement to national, racial, regional and religious hatred

P.1 Acts inciting incitement to hatred or to national, racial, regional or other conflict

religious or aimed at undermining national dignity, as well as at promoting the superiority of citizens in terms of their attitude to religion, their belonging to a nation, race or place, if any

the act was committed publicly or using the media

Article 307.

public appeal to forcibly change the constitutional order of the Republic of Tajikistan

Article 307, Part 1

1. Public incitement to extremist activities;
2. the same act committed using the media or the Internet;

Article 307, Part 2

Extremist organization

1. The establishment of an extremist association, that is, an organized group of persons, for the preparation or commission of crimes under articles 157, 158, 160, 185, 188, 189, 237, 2371, 242, 243 (crimes of an extremist nature);
2. Participation in extremist activities
3. Acts provided for in Parts One or Two of this Article committed repeatedly or using official position

Article 307 Part 3

Organization of the activities of political parties, public or religious associations or other organizations in respect of which a court decision has entered into force, participation in the activities of political parties, public associations, religious associations or other organizations whose activities are prohibited.

By the decision of the Dushanbe City Court, Rahmatjoni Mahmajon was sentenced to twenty years in prison.

Now a point has been made in the story of the disappearance of Rahmatjoni Mahmajon, and it can be openly stated that in violation of all international norms and laws, a citizen of the Russian Federation was abducted from the territory of the Russian Federation and taken to Tajikistan. The Tajik authorities, being in criminal collusion with representatives of official bodies of the Russian Federation, or with their acquiescence, in broad daylight, kidnapped, put on a flight plane and deprived a person of liberty for a long 20 years for invented crimes that are not considered such in the entire civilized world.

In this story, the most terrifying thing is the fact that all this lawlessness took place on the territory of a democratic country – the Russian Federation, with the permission and assistance of representatives of official bodies of the Russian Federation.

And the crimes that participated on both sides in the abduction and sending to Tajikistan of Rahmatjoni Mahmajon are obvious, but it is impossible to achieve justice and punish the perpetrators. And impunity creates new crimes.

The political movement “Group 24”