New York, August 19, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Tajikistan’s authorities to drop bribery charges against Ahmad Ibrohim, chief editor of the independent weekly newspaper Payk, who was arrested August 12.
“Following the wave of lengthy convictions against journalists in Tajikistan since 2022, the arrest of Ahmad Ibrohim is yet another reminder of how dangerous any form of critical journalism is in the country’s deeply repressive media environment,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. “Tajik authorities should release Ibrohim, along with seven other journalists currently incarcerated in retaliation for their work, and allow the media to operate freely.”
Law enforcement officers in the southern city of Kulob arrested Ibrohim on August 12, but the arrest was not reported until August 16, according to a report by U.S. Congress-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Tajik service, known locally as Radio Ozodi, and a local media expert, who spoke to CPJ on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisal.
Local sources familiar with the case told Radio Ozodi that Ibrohim’s arrest appeared to have been a setup. Authorities have refused to extend Payk’s license to operate since March, those sources said, and a state security services officer who had spent several months cultivating a relationship with Ibrohim told the journalist that he could help obtain a license for 2500 somoni (US$235). After Ibrohim handed over the money, he was arrested.
Payk, the only independent media outlet in Tajikistan’s southern Khatlon Province, has previously complained of pressure in retaliation for its critical reports on local authorities.
If convicted on the bribery charges, Ibrohim could face up to 10 years in prison, under Article 320, Part 2 of Tajikistan’s criminal code.
CPJ emailed Tajikistan’s prosecutor general’s office for comment but did not receive a reply.