Three years after their arrest and imprisonment, the plight of journalists Zavqibek Saidamini and Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda remains dire.  One is reportedly being held in a punishment cell, while the other is struggling with serious health issues.  Their families, in conversations with Asia-Plus, have shared new details about the journalists’ current conditions and the impact on their loved ones.

Zavqibek Saidamini was detained on July 8, 2022, followed by Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda a day later.  After approximately five months of pre-trial detention and court proceedings, both were sentenced to seven years in prison.  Saidamini is currently held in a Dushanbe-based  penal colony, while Pirmuhammadzoda is incarcerated in the city of Khujand.

No contact for five months

Abdukarim, the brother of Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda, told Asia-Plus that the family has not received any information from him since March.  Despite multiple attempts to visit him in the Khujand facility, they have been unable to make contact.

“In March, during the amnesty, several commissions visited the penal colony, compiling lists of those eligible for release.  Abdusattor told them, ‘I’m innocent—why am I not on the list?’  He received no response.  After the commissions left, prison authorities punished him.  According to our information, he’s now in solitary confinement,” said Abdukarim.

He added that Abdusattor’s wife and children, who live in Vahdat in a home he built but never finished, have also tried to visit him several times—without success.  “He hasn’t called us since.  We are deeply concerned about his health,” he said.

While family members provide financial support, the absence of the father figure has taken a heavy emotional toll.  “His wife and kids have what they need materially, but they miss Abdusattor terribly. The children miss their father, and the family misses their pillar of strength,” Abdukarim added.

Health concerns mount for Zavqibek Saidamini

Zavqibek Saidamini’s wife, Makhfirat Khudoynazarova, shared her growing concern about her husband’s deteriorating health.  She told Asia-Plus that the journalist has been suffering from psychological distress and, for the past month, has been plagued by severe eye pain.

The family is allowed to see Zavqibek approximately once every three months, with weekly phone calls in between.  During their last visit on June 27, he complained about persistent pain in both his eyes and spine.

“We’ve sent him medication, which he’s taking.  The prison claimed he was examined and treated by an eye doctor. But his condition hasn’t improved much,” said Khudoynazarova.

She noted that Zavqibek has been battling spinal pain for some time. Although he underwent treatment previously, the symptoms have returned.

Zavqibek’s family lives in Dushanbe, and according to his wife, they are managing financially thanks to support from his brothers.  Yet the emotional burden is significant.  “The children are growing up.  This year, our other daughter is starting school—but Zavqibek won’t be there to take her.  His absence is especially painful during these important family milestones,” she said.

The family continues to hope for his return.  “We watched news about the amnesty on TV, and saw men reuniting with their families.  Our daughters were excited, thinking their father might come home.  We had food ready, but they refused to eat, saying, ‘We’ll wait for Dad.’  When no one came, they cried inconsolably.  I couldn’t calm them down,” Khudoynazarova recounted.

She added: “The children deeply feel their father’s absence.  They suffer every day.  Their question remains the same: ‘When will Dad come home?’ I have no answer.”

Background on the arrests

Both journalists were arrested in 2022 amid a broader crackdown on independent media in Tajikistan.  

A court in Dushanbe’s Ismoili Somoni district sentenced independent journalist and blogger Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda to seven years in prison on December 26, 2022.  The sentence followed his conviction on charges of collaboration with parties and movements banned in Tajikistan (Article 307 (3) of Tajikistan’s Penal Code).  The trial of Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda started on October 13 behind doors.

Pirmuhammadzoda was detained in Vahdat Township on July 9 last year.  He had been charged with publicly calling for extremist activities.      

Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda worked at the state-owned radio station Sadoi Dushanbe (Voice of Dushanbe) until 2019, when he quit after reportedly being given the choice between moderating his critical reporting and resigning.

He has reportedly published his personal views on free speech and alleged government injustices on his YouTube channel, where he has about 39,000 subscribers.    

The court in Dushanbe’s Ismoili Somoni district sentenced Zavqibek Saidamini to seven years in prison on November 3, 2022.  The journalist pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him.

The trial of Zavqibek Saidamini was also held at the Dushanbe-based pretrial detention center behind closed doors.  He was charged with participating in an extremist group.  The charge stems from Saidamini’s links to two banned opposition parties, the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) and Group 24.

According to some sources, he has repeatedly denied supporting any political group.  Both organizations also deny any cooperation with the journalist.

Zavqibek Saidamini published commentary and reporting on his YouTube channels, which have a total of about 15,000 subscribers.  His videos reportedly covered topics including border conflicts with Kyrgyzstan, religion, and allegations of unlawful military drafting practices.

Saidamini reportedly worked as an editor and presenter at the state broadcaster Tajikistan Television until 2019, when he quit as he felt unable to report freely. 

International groups, including Human Rights Watch and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), have called on the Tajik government to release the reporters and end its campaign against the free press.

A report released by the CPJ on December 14, 2022 says Tajikistan held six journalists, making it the leading jailer in Central Asia.  The report, in particular, notes that the prisoners were tried secretly behind closed doors in detention centers, not courts, and sentenced to lengthy prison terms amid allegations of torture.

Recall, six Tajik journalists and bloggers Mamadsulton Mavlonazarov, Abdulloh Ghurbati, Daler Imomali, Zavqibek Saidamini, Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda, Khoushrouz Jumayev and Ulfatkhonim Mamadshoyeva were sentenced to prison terms of between seven and twenty-one  years.

They were charged with spreading false information, participation in extremism community and collaboration with banned organization.  The journalists themselves and their relatives reject these charges as absolutely unfounded.