DUSHANBE -- Tajikistan recently arrested the last opposition politician in the country who dared to openly criticize the authoritarian government’s policies.
In a move described by the opposition as “catastrophic” for Tajik society, authorities detained Shokirjon Hakimov, the deputy head of the Social Democratic Party on July 12, although officials have not publicly announced or commented on the politician’s arrest.
Hakimov’s relatives have since avoided talking to the media, sparking fears the family was warned against speaking out.
The Tajik government has brutally cracked down on its political opponents over the years, jailing opposition politicians or forcing them into self-exile. Dozens of independent journalists, activists, and government critics languish in prisons. Some of them were hunted down abroad and forcibly brought back home. Others were killed.
The Europe-based National Alliance of Tajikistan that brings together several exiled Tajik opposition groups, expressed concern about the impact of Hakimov’s arrest on civil society, which has increasingly witnessed alternative voices silenced one after another.
“The arrest of freethinking and courageous politicians like Hakimov and their removal from the political scene will have catastrophic consequences for the future of the Tajik nation,” the group said.
It’s not clear what charges Hakimov, 58, is facing. A source close to Tajik law enforcement agencies told RFE/RL on condition of anonymity that Hakimov’s detention is linked to a criminal case against Saidjafar Usmonzoda, a lawmaker and the former head of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan who was detained in June for allegedly “seeking to overthrow the government.”
Tajik Prosecutor-General Yusuf Rahmon told parliament following the lawmaker’s arrest that “Usmonzoda and others” had been plotting to illegally seize the government. The prosecutor didn’t say who the “others” were.
But there have been rumors that several prominent figures -- including former Foreign Minister Hamrohkhon Zarifi, 75, and former parliament chairman Akbarshoh Iskandarov, 73 -- were detained on unknown charges in June.
Sources close to the government confirmed to RFE/RL that Hakimov was arrested but were not able to provide details.
Climate Of Fear
Nearly a decade ago, Dushanbe banned its major political opponent, the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan and Group 24 -- an organization that had been gaining popularity among younger Tajiks.
Both parties were branded as “terrorist,” and the government of autocratic President Emomali Rahmon continues to target their members and supporters both at home and outside the country.
Although the Social Democratic Party has been officially registered in Tajikistan, it has been under constant political and financial pressure. Controlled elections have made it impossible for the party to ever win a seat in parliament.
Hakimov twice ran for parliament in 2010 and 2015 in his native Konibodom district in the country’s north. But both times pro-government candidates were declared winners amid reports of irregularities and violations by election officials.
Despite having a doctorate in law, Hakimov said that he was unable to get a lecturer’s job at any Tajik university because of his political views.
But he refused to remain silent and continued to voice his opinion at public gatherings and in comments to foreign media. For several years it seemed the authorities tolerated his criticism.
“But now, apparently, the regime is so unsure of its own stability that it even sees [a lone critic such as] Hakimov as a serious threat,” said U.S.-based Tajik political observer Aziz Nasrulloev.
Political activist Farhod Khudoyorov predicts that Hakimov’s arrest will further erode ordinary Tajiks’ trust in the government and might even push some people toward extremism.
“It will add to [the existing] climate of fear. Self-censorship in media will increase further and people will hesitate about voicing their opinion openly,” Khudoyorov said. “As a result, people will become more radical [toward the government.]”
