The Committee to Protect Journalists on August 19 called on Tajik authorities to drop bribery charges against noted journalist Ahmad Ibrohim, who was arrested a week earlier.
"Following the wave of lengthy convictions against journalists in Tajikistan since 2022, the arrest of Ahmad Ibrohim is yet another reminder of how dangerous any form of critical journalism is in the country's deeply repressive media environment," CPJ Europe and Central Asia program coordinator Gulnoza Said emphasized in the statement.
"Tajik authorities should release Ibrohim, along with seven other journalists currently incarcerated in retaliation for their work, and allow the media to operate freely," Said added.
Several sources close to law enforcement in Tajikistan told RFE/RL over the weekend that police in the Central Asian nation's southern city of Kulob had arrested the 62-year-old editor-in-chief of the Paik (Message) independent newspaper after he allegedly offered a bribe to an official in exchange for re-registration of his media outlet.
According to some sources, Ibrohim’s arrest appeared to have been a setup.
Authorities in Kulob have refused to extend Paik's license to operate since March, the sources said, and a state security services officer who had spent several months cultivating a relationship with Ibrohim said he could help obtain a license for 2500 somoni ($235). After Ibrohim handed over the money, he was arrested.
If convicted, Ibrohim could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.
Tajik officials have yet to announce the arrest officially.
In recent years, several Tajik journalists, rights activists, and opposition politicians have been handed lengthy prison terms on charges seen by rights groups as trumped-up and politically motivated.
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, who has run the Central Asian nation for almost 30 years, has been criticized by international human rights groups over his administration's alleged disregard for independent media, religious freedoms, civil society, and political pluralism.