The Movement for Reforms and Development of Tajikistan is urgently appealing to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the UN Committee Against Torture, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany to intervene in the case of political activist Dilmurod Ergashev. Since November 7, 2024, he has been subjected to systematic and severe torture in the detention facility of the State Committee for National Security (GKNB) of Tajikistan.
Dilmurod Ergashev was deported to Tajikistan by German authorities on November 6, 2024, despite the clear and present danger to his safety.
Organizations such as Human Rights Watch and the Helsinki Committee had previously warned the German authorities that if Ergashev were handed over to Tajikistan’s government, he would face torture for his political beliefs and be sentenced to prolonged imprisonment.
The GKNB officers have subjected Dilmurod Ergashev to brutal torture to extract forced confessions.
According to our sources, Ergashev was tortured with electric shocks applied to his genitals and had needles inserted under his fingernails and toenails. He was stripped naked in front of other detainees, humiliated, verbally abused, and beaten.
Following one such instance of torture, he lost consciousness and had to be taken to a prison hospital. However, after recovering, he was returned to the torture room.
These actions are intended to humiliate and break Dilmurod Ergashev’s spirit, a practice commonly employed by the Tajik authorities against political prisoners.
Dilmurod Ergashev fled Tajikistan in 2011 due to threats to his safety and persecution in retaliation for his criticism of the government.
While abroad, he actively documented and exposed numerous human rights violations in Tajikistan, participated in protests against the Tajik government in Germany, and frequently voiced his opinions on the country’s political situation via social media.
Dilmurod Ergashev has been denied access to a lawyer and independent legal representation. His relatives have no information about his health or whereabouts, which constitutes a grave violation of human rights.
The Movement for Reforms and Development of Tajikistan is deeply concerned about the condition of political activist Ergashev. We fear that the systematic torture, abuse, and beatings could result in fatal consequences.
Dilmurod Ergashev is the third political activist deported to Tajikistan by German authorities. Such troubling precedents embolden Tajikistan’s authoritarian government and jeopardize the lives and safety of opposition figures in exile. For many activists, the democratic West represents the only hope for safe refuge.
We call on the international community to exercise its influence and authority to halt the torture and secure the release of Dilmurod Ergashev.
Do not destroy the hope of thousands of political activists who place their trust in human rights organizations and the democratic states of Europe.
Indifference and silence in the face of such heinous crimes are unacceptable!
Respectfully,
Sharofiddin Gadoev
Chairman, of the Movement for Reforms and Development of Tajikistan
November 25, 2024
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
