January 21, 2025

22.01.2025 – Journalist Ahmad Ibrohim in Tajikistan Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison Amid Crackdown on Independent Media

On 10 January 2025, a court in Kulob / Khatlon (Кӯлоб), in the Khatlon Region in southern of the Republic of Tajikistan (Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон), sentenced Ahmad Ibrohim (Ахмад Иброхим), 63 years old, the editor-in-chief and founder of the paper Payk (Пайк), to a 10-year prison term. He was convicted on charges of bribery, extortion, and extremism in a closed-door trial held at the city’s pretrial detention center. The case was classified as secret, leaving many details unknown to the public.

Ibrohim’s arrest in August 2024 followed accusations of bribing a state security officer. However, his supporters and international observers, including Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ – https://cpj.org/) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF- https://rsf.org/en), have labeled the charges as retaliatory. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFERL – https://www.ozodi.org/) suspicions that the arrest was a setup, with claims that prosecutors pressured local officials to testify against him. Despite these efforts, none of the witnesses reportedly confirmed the allegations of extortion.

In a letter to Rustam Emomali (Рустам Эмомали), Chairman of the National Assembly of Tajikistan, Mayor of Dushanbe and the eldest son of Emomali Rahmon (Эмомали Раҳмон), President of Tajikistan, Ibrohim denied the accusations. He emphasized his lifelong opposition to extremism and dismissed the extremism charge as baseless, noting his extensive work exposing radical groups. Ibrohim, also an author of six novels, described the charges as a personal vendetta orchestrated by local authorities in response to his critical reporting.

Payk, founded 2012, the only critical newspaper in the Khatlon Province (Вилояти Хатлон), Tajikistan, has faced increasing pressure over the years, with authorities often targeting it for its investigative reporting. After Ibrohim’s arrest, the publication ceased operations. The Ministry of Culture previously revoked Payk’s license. According to state investigators, Ibrohim offered allegedly an employee of the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) / Кумитаи давлатии амнияти миллии Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон a bribe of 2,000 TJS (around 177 EUR) for help in obtaining a license. Additional he was also accused of extortion and extremism.

Ibrohim’s case highlights the broader suppression of independent media in Tajikistan. Over the past decade, the government has systematically dismantled press freedom, leaving few platforms for dissent. In recent years, numerous journalists have been sentenced including with several years prison charge. In the fight against independent media the state used in the past tax fines or media management faced criminal charges. The sentence has drawn widespread criticism, with advocates urging Tajik authorities to release Ibrohim and other journalists imprisoned on politically motivated charges.

This incident reflects the escalating challenges faced by journalists in Tajikistan, where investigative reporting is increasingly treated as a threat to state power.

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns the harsh 10-year prison sentence handed to journalist Ahmad Ibrohim, editor-in-chief of Payk, following a closed-door trial on dubious charges of bribery, extortion, and extremism. This unjust verdict is a blatant attack on press freedom and serves as yet another alarming example of Tajikistan’s ongoing suppression of independent journalism. SEEMO calls on Tajik authorities to immediately release Ibrohim, along with other detained journalists, and to cease the persecution of media professionals who play a vital role in holding power to account. SEEMO will continue to monitor this case closely and advocate for the protection of press freedom in Tajikistan.

South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is a regional non-governmental, non profit network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in Southeast, South, East and Central Europe. SEEMO members are in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova (with the territory of Transdnestria), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye / Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Austria, Italy, Vatican and San Marino have a special status in SEEMO. SEEMO has over 3000 individual members, and additional media as corporate members.

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