A Tajik activist facing deportation from Germany says he has been given until July 1 to convince a court he would be at risk of arrest if returned to Tajikistan in a case that has intensified fears among exiled members of the country's opposition across Europe.
Asadullo Boboev, a member of the Europe-based opposition Reforms and Development of Tajikistan (RDT) movement, has been living in the northwestern German town of Kleve on a temporary residence permit that has now expired.
While his wife and two daughters have been allowed to remain in the country, Boboev and his adult son were taken to an immigration detention center on June 8 and face expulsion, the activist told RFE/RL.
President Emomali Rahmon, who has ruled Tajikistan with an iron fist since 1992, has pursued a harsh crackdown on political opponents. His government has banned the country's two main opposition forces -- the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) and the Group 24 movement -- labeling both as terrorist organizations.
Many Tajik opposition officials, members, and supporters are languishing in prison while dozens of others have left the country.
Speaking by phone from the detention facility, Boboev, 54, said Tajik authorities have launched a criminal case against him on extremism charges, an accusation frequently used by Dushanbe against its political opponents and critics.
In Tajikistan, Boboev was active on social media, frequently making anti-government posts.
"The [German] court has given me until July 1 to prove that I would be at risk if returned to Tajikistan," said Boboev, who left Tajikistan in 2017.
Emomali Rahmon has ruled Tajikistan with an iron fist since 1992.
RFE/RL contacted German authorities for comment but has not yet received a response.
The RDT leader, Sharofiddin Gadoev, said the group has hired a defense lawyer for Boboev to defend his case.
While RFE/RL has not been able to reach Tajik authorities to verify that there is a criminal case against Boboev, several Tajik opposition activists and government critics who were deported from Germany and other countries in recent years have been detained upon arrival and later sentenced to lengthy prison terms.
Decades In Prison For Dissent
In 2024, Tajik activist Farrukh Ikromov was handed a 23-year prison sentence after he was deported from Poland, according to his family and opposition sources. His trial was held behind closed doors and authorities have never publicly commented on his case.
The opposition says Ikromov was targeted for taking part in a 2023 protest in Berlin where Tajik opposition supporters threw eggs at Rahmon's car during a visit to Germany.
Bilol Qurbonaliev, a member of the banned opposition movement Group 24 who took part in the same protest, was arrested and subsequently sentenced to 10 years in prison after he was deported from Germany in 2023.
Qurbonaliev was charged with "organizing a criminal group," an accusation his supporters deny.
Hizbullo Shovalizoda was sentenced to 20 years in prison after he was deported from Austria.
Hizbullo Shovalizoda, a member of the banned IRPT, was handed a 20-year sentence on a treason charge just months after he was deported from Austria in 2020.
Tajik political activist Dilmurod Ergashev, who was expelled from Germany in 2024, was sentenced to eight years in prison for "public calls for extremist activities," a charge he denied.
Last year, a Tajik citizen living in Germany, Saidazam Rahmonov, died in the custody of Tajik security services after being arrested during a trip to Dushanbe to renew his documents, according to his family and friends.
Rahmonov's body bore signs of beating and torture, including electric shocks, they told RFE/RL at the time.
Rahmonov was accused by his interrogators of religious extremism and of planning a terrorist attack, sources close to his family said, adding that he had no affiliation with any political group.
Fear Among Dissidents
The detention of Boboev in Germany has alarmed other Tajik opposition figures living in exile.
Many fear that they will be next, said Isomiddin Ashurov, a Group 24 member who has lived in Europe since 2016.
Ashurov told RFE/RL he fears he will face the same fate if he sets foot in Tajikistan.
"My relatives in Tajikistan told me that law enforcement authorities have put on display my photo along with photos of my two uncles -- also Group 24 members -- saying that we are wanted by police and offered a financial reward to anyone who calls authorities with information on our whereabouts," he said.
Farhod Odinaev, a Europe-based opposition politician, said German authorities have in the past requested some Tajik political asylum seekers to provide proof about the existence of a criminal case against them in Tajikistan.
He said German courts had made similar requests of Abdullo Shamsiddin and Dilmurod Ergashev, both of whom were imprisoned in Dushanbe after their expulsions.
"The absence of a criminal case doesn't mean that they are immune from persecution," Odinaev told RFE/RL. "Most of those who were jailed in Tajikistan after their deportation were not openly named on Dushanbe's wanted list."