Tajik activist Ramzi Vazirbekov has been sentenced to 13 years in prison on charges of calls for the forced change of the constitutional order and being a member of a criminal group. Vazirbekov's relatives told RFE/RL on November 8 that he was sentenced in Dushanbe three days earlier, the same day that Ramzi's brother, Oraz Vazirbekov, got 16 years in prison on extremism charges. Vazirbekov's brothers, who reject the charges, were forcibly taken to Tajikistan from Moscow in July, amid a crackdown on activists from their native Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region. To read the original report by RFE/RL's Tajik Service, click here.
Another Tajik Activist Handed Lengthy Prison Term
Editors' Picks
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.