DUSHANBE -- A Tajik lawyer who represented a prominent opposition figure has died 10 days after his second son was sent to prison on what he said were trumped-up charges.
Ishoq Tabarov, 61, died in a Dushanbe clinic on June 12. His wife, Zuhro Sherova, told RFE/RL that doctors said his death was caused by a stroke.
On June 2, a court in the western city of Vahdat sentenced Tabarov's son, Daler Tabarov, to six months in prison for failure to report an unspecified crime.
Tabarov's second son, Firuz Tabarov, was sentenced to 13 1/2 years in jail in February for promoting antistate propaganda.
Tabarov had insisted that the charges against his sons were politically motivated.
His relatives say he had lost 20 kilograms since the probes against his sons were launched.
Tabarov was a lawyer for opposition businessman Zayd Saidov, the leader of the unregistered New Tajikistan opposition party.
Saidov has been serving a 29-year prison term since 2013. He was found guilty of financial fraud, polygamy, and sexual relations with a minor.
Saidov and his supporters deny the charges, saying they are politically motivated.
