Rukhshona Khakimova

Rukhshona Khakimova is an investigative journalist affiliated with the Centre for Investigative Journalism of Tajikistan and Factcheck.tj. She was detained without a warrant in July 2024 in front of her home in Dushanbe and later charged with high treason alongside several opposition figures associated with the Social Democratic Party of Tajikistan, including her uncle, the party’s deputy chair, Shokirjon Khakimov.

Her trial was held behind closed doors. On February 5, 2025, she was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment; the Supreme Court upheld the verdict on April 2, 2025. She is currently held in isolation in a correctional facility in Nurek, denied parcels and visits. At the time of her arrest, she was breastfeeding her nine-month-old; authorities have refused to allow the infant to visit. The family’s property was also confiscated, causing acute financial hardship. The proceedings have lacked transparency and basic fair-trial safeguards.