Daler Sharipov (journalist)

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Daler Sharipov
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Born1988
NationalityTajik
CitizenshipTajikistan
OccupationJournalist
Known forJournalism on religious freedom, human rights

Daler Sharipov (1988) is an independent Tajik journalist. In January 2020, he was arrested and charged with "inciting religious discord,”.[1][2] He was sentenced to one year in prison and later released on January 29th, 2021.[1][3][4][5][6][7][8]

Background

In 2012, Sharipov established the “Kadam da kadam” (Step by Step) movement aimed at uniting youth and combating corruption.[1] He has been summoned by the State Committee for National Security (Tajikistan) on several occasions.[1] He was beaten by a group of unknown individuals in November 2012 and consequently stayed in the hospital for three days.[1] The perpetrators were never caught.[1]

Over the past several years, Sharipov has written articles for several media outlets, such as the independent newspaper Ozodagon.[1] He wrote about topics such as religious freedom and violations of human rights.[1][9] After facing "years of harassment and intimidation” from authorities, Ozodagon was closed in 2019.[10]

2020 Arrest, Sentence, and Release

Sharipov was arrested on January 28th, 2020 in Dushanbe and charged with inciting ethnic, racial, and religious hatred.[9] During this time, Tajikistan’s Prosecutor-General’s Office stated that the arrest stemmed from "more than 200 articles and commentaries containing extremist content aimed at inciting religious hatred” that were dated from 2013 to 2019.[9] The press release also stated that Sharipov had illegally published 100 copies of a text that "was developed in the context of the Muslim Brotherhood movement,".[1][11]

Additionally, Sharipov was arrested a month before the March 1st parliamentary polls, which are the first since 2015.[10]

After spending two months in pre-trial detention, Sharipov was sentenced to one year in prison at Shohmansur court in Dushanbe on April 16th.[12] Journalists were not allowed access to the details of the case.[12] He was sentenced on charges of incitement of religious hatred, which stemmed from his publication and dissemination of a treatise called "The Prophet Muhammad and Terrorism,”.[12] He was imprisoned in Correctional Colony 3/13 in Yovon District.[13]

Sharipov was released on January 29th, 2021.[3]

International Response

In February 2020, Harlem Désir|Harlem Desir, the Representative on Freedom of the Media for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, “wrote to the authorities of #Tajikistan calling for the immediate release of journalist Daler Sharipov,”.[1][14]

In May 2020, D.C.-based non-profit Freedom Now submitted a petition to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on behalf of Daler Sharipov.[15] In March 2021, the Working Group determined that his detention was arbitrary and in violation of international law.[13] In March 2021, Freedom Now submitted a report detailing the case to the United Nations Human Rights Council.[16] This report was delivered in advance of Tajikistan's Universal Periodic Review conducted by the UN in March 2021.[16]

In June 2020, a bipartisan group of senators lead by Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, called on President Emomali Rahmon to release Sharipov.[17]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 "Tajikistan: Journalist Held on Baseless Charges". Human Rights Watch. February 21, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  2. "Tajik journalist to be tried this Monday for "extremism"". Reporters Without Borders. April 11, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  3. 3.0 3.1 RFE/RL's Tajik Service (January 29, 2021). "Tajik Journalist Convicted In 'Absurd' Extremism Case Released From Prison". Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  4. "INDEPENDENT JOURNALIST IMPRISONED FOR A YEAR". Amnesty International. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  5. "Tajik civic society groups call on the authorities to release convicted journalist Daler Sharifov". Asia Plus. April 20, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  6. "Tajik Journalist To Go On Trial On Extremism Charges RSF Calls 'Absurd'". Radio Free Liberty / Radio Free Europe. April 12, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  7. "Tajikistan: Independent journalist detained on extremism charges". International Federation of Journalists. February 5, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  8. "Tajik Journalist to Go on Trial on Extremism Charges RSF Calls 'Absurd'". VOA News. April 13, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 RFE/RL's Tajik Service (April 15, 2020). "Trial Begins For Tajik Journalist On 'Extremism' Charges Right Groups Call 'Absurd'". Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  10. 10.0 10.1 Putz, Catherine (February 4, 2020). "Tajik Journalist Facing Extremism Charges". The Diplomat. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  11. "Tajikistan holds journalist on extremism charges". The Guardian. February 2, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 "Tajikistan: Court sentences journalist Daler Sharipov to 1 year in prison". Eurasia.net. April 16, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  13. 13.0 13.1 UN Human Rights Council, Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (March 10, 2020). "Opinions adopted by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention at its eighty-ninth session, 23–27 November 2020 Opinion No. 89/2020 concerning Daler Sharipov (Tajikistan)" (PDF). OHCHR. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  14. Harlem Desir (February 3, 2020). "OSCE media freedom". Twitter. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  15. "Petition To: United Nations Working Group On Arbitrary Detention" (PDF). Freedom Now. May 1, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  16. 16.0 16.1 "Freedom Now – Individual Submission To The Office Of The High Commissioner For Human Rights Universal Periodic Review: Tajikistan 39th Session Human Rights Council – UPR Working Group" (PDF). Freedom Now. March 9, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  17. "Letter to Tajikistan President Re Political Prisoners" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. June 29, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2021.

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