Saidjafar Usmonzoda, a prominent member of the Tajik parliament, was detained on June 14 for allegedly “plotting to overthrow the government.”
Prosecutor-General Yusuf Rahmon accused Usmonzoda of collaborating with the foreign-based opposition group National Pact of Tajikistan and of speaking with its leader, the self-exiled Sharofiddin Gadoev.
Gadoev fled Tajikistan in the early 2010s and established the Movement for Reforms and Development of Tajikistan and co-founded the National Alliance, a coalition of opposition groups abroad.
Parliament on June 14 stripped Usmonzoda of his immunity as a lawmaker.
A member of parliament since 2015, Usmonzoda was one of handful of lawmakers accessible to the media and frequently took part in programs by Radio Ozodi, as RFE/RL’s Tajik Service is locally known.
Neither Usmonzoda nor people close to him have commented on his detention. It is unclear if he has legal representation.
A former chairman of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan, Usmonzoda was expelled from the party last month for his perceived “unsatisfactory” performance as a party member.
Shaboz Abror, who had led the party conference that resulted in Usmonzoda’s expulsion, was recognized as the party’s new chairman on May 31 by the Ministry of Justice.
However, Usmonzoda maintained in an interview with Radio Ozodi earlier this month that he was the legitimate leader of the party.
Founded in 1990, the Democratic Party of Tajikistan has experienced divisions and scandals since its inception.
In 2013, the party split into two factions, with Masoud Sobirov and Rahmatullo Valiev claiming leadership positions. However, the Ministry of Justice recognized Usmonzoda as the party's leader.
In the 2013 presidential election, Usmonzoda ran against Emomali Rahmon, the longtime president who has since consolidated his grip on power.
Rahmon, who has run the Central Asian nation since 1992, has been criticized by international human rights groups over his administration's alleged disregard for independent media, religious freedoms, civil society, and political pluralism.