British Researcher Alarmed By Detention Of Tajik Colleague

John Heathershaw, a Central Asia expert from the University of Exeter in Britain, said the detention of his research collaborator, Aleksandr Sodikov, on spying charges in southern Tajikistan set an alarming precedent for future political research in the country. In an interview with RFE/RL's Tohir Safarov on July 1, Heathershaw said Sodikov's colleagues were providing evidence to the Tajik authorities to prove his innocence. Sodikov, a Tajik national residing in Canada, was detained in the southern Tajik city of Khorugh on June 16, shortly after speaking with civil society activists there. (RFE/RL's Tajik Service)