Mamadsulton Mavlonazarov

Mamadsulton Mavlonazarov is a journalist serving a seven year and six month sentence on charges of calling for a change in the constitutional order and insulting an authority figure.

Prior to his arrest, Mavlonazarov worked as a member of the press for his entire career. In the 1970s, he began working as a journalist for the news agency Komosol Tochikiston.  In 1978, he was the senior editor at the television and radio broadcasting department of the Committee for State Security.  Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Mavlonazarov joined the Khovar Information Center, the state news agency of Tajikistan, and served as first deputy head for several years.  In the course of his career, Mavlonazarov received numerous professional accolades recognizing his work in journalism, including from the Security Committee of the USSR, Tajikistan’s Ministry of Security, and the Union of Journalists of the USSR. He eventually rose to the rank of colonel in the State Committee for National Security (SCNS).

After Mavlonazarov retired from his position at the state news agency he became an independent journalist. In recent years, his reporting has primarily focused on the Tajikistani government, including the SCNS. Mavlonazarov also published political commentary and criticism of both the national government and SCNS leadership on social media under the name Muhammadi Sulton.  His chief criticisms of the SCNS leadership and Secretary of Defense stemmed from his intimate knowledge of the service’s protocols and standards.  Mavlonazarov’s status as a former SCNS officer lent his criticisms credibility among the public.

This independent journalism and commentary attracted the attention of government officials. For example, in 2018, pro-government media publicly accused Mavlonazarov of spreading propaganda and destructive ideas.  Moreover, on February 14, 2022, several months before Mavlonazarov’s arrest, an officer of the SCNS visited him at his home and warned that if he did not curtail his criticisms about the government, his situation would “deteriorate”.

Despite the Government’s attempts at intimidation, Mavlonazarov continued his reporting. As the government sharply increased its “counterterrorist operations” in the Gorno-Badakhshan region in the spring of 2022, Mavlonazarov continued to publish on social media.  His posts reported on the Gorno-Badakhshan protests where he criticized the government violent crackdown.

On the morning of June 16, 2022, Tajik authorities raided Mavlonazarov’s apartment in Dushanbe and detained him while he still lay in bed.  He was taken away from his home barefoot to an unknown location. Arresting authorities did not specify the grounds for arrest and did not inform Mavlonazarov’s family of where he was being taken.

Following his arrest, Mavlonazarov’s family was initially unable to locate him.  The Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Prosecutor’s Office and the SCNS all denied having any knowledge of Mavlonazarov’s whereabouts.  After the third day, Mavlonazarov’s family was informed that he was held in the Temporary Detention Center (IVS) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Dushanbe.  On July 4, he was transferred to the SCNS Detention Center in Dushanbe.  Authorities did not inform his family of the reasons for the transfer.

Due to the political nature of the case, Mavlonazarov’s family faced difficulty in finding a lawyer that was willing to represent him.  As a result, Mavlonazarov was without legal representation for over a month following his arrest.  After being refused by several lawyers, Mr. Mavlonazarov’s family found a private lawyer willing to take on the case.

Mavlonazarov was tried in September 2022 before the Sino District Court in Dushanbe.  He first appeared in court on September 7 and was indicted on two charges. The first charge was for violating Article 307 Section 2 of Tajikistan’s Criminal Code, which criminalizes public calls for changing the constitutional system if made “repeatedly” or “using mass media.”   The second charge was for violating Article 330 of the Criminal Code, which criminalizes “insulting a representative of the authorities,” publicly on the internet. Both charges related to posts that Mavlonazarov made on his public Facebook page.

The trial began almost immediately after the indictment. As a result, the defense counsel lacked meaningful time to prepare for trial following the indictment. The trial was closed to the public, and Mavlonazarov’s family was only permitted to attend the verdict and sentencing.   On September 13, 2022, the District Court convicted Mavlonazarov on both counts and sentenced him to seven and a half years in prison, which began at the time of his sentencing. Mavlonazarov did not appeal the conviction.

Mavlonazarov is currently serving his sentence in Correctional Institution JAS No. 3/7. He is permitted to call his family two or three times each month.  His family is rarely able to visit him in prison due to the prison’s distance from their home. Moreover, Mavlonazarov has faced multiple health issues while in detention, including a severe swelling of his legs and kidney problems.  Due to his health issues, he has been hospitalized on several occasions.

In June 2024, Freedom Now and the international law firm Dechert LLP filed a petition with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on Mavlonazarov’s behalf.