Tajikistan: RSF calls on public prosecutor to release journalist Rukhshona Khakimova, sentenced to eight years in prison
Repression against independent voices is intensifying in Tajikistan ahead of the parliamentary elections on 2 March in which there are no real opposition candidates. The latest victim, Rukhshona Khakimova, is awaiting her appeal trial after being handed down eight years in prison for "high treason" due to her work on Chinese influence in the country. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns this arbitrary sentence and urges the prosecutor to release the journalist.
Rukhshona Khakimova has been languishing in prison for nearly a month for conducting a survey — that have not yet been published — on Chinese influence and foreign aid in Tajikistan. The same questionnaire, prepared for an independent research institute, has been used in several other Central Asian countries without any legal consequences.
On 5 February 2025, a court sentenced the journalist to eight years in prison for "high treason" in a secret, closed-door trial that lasted less than a month. The judge also ordered the confiscation of her assets, further increasing pressure on her family. The date of her appeal trial before the Supreme Court has not been disclosed.
“The investigation into Rukhshona Khakimova’s case was marred by irregularities, and her trial was unfair. Her arbitrary and scandalous conviction, with an alarmingly heavy sentence, illustrates the Tajik authorities’ determination to silence all independent voices ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for this Sunday, which will take place in a climate devoid of political and media pluralism. RSF supports the journalist, refutes the charge against her, and calls on the prosecutor to grant her immediate release.
Arbitrary conviction
“The severe sentence handed down to our colleague Rukhshona Khakimova must be challenged on appeal, and the criminal case must be reexamined as the investigation was conducted under a veil of secrecy and the trial was held behind closed doors, making it impossible to ensure a fair trial for the journalist.”
Nuriddin Karshiboev
President of The National Association of Independent Media of Tajikistan (NANSMIT), an RSF partner
Arrested without a warrant on 16 July 2024, in front of her home in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, Rukhshona Khakimova was detained for nearly twelve hours without access to a lawyer. Her home was searched in her absence, and her professional equipment, passport and bank cards were seized without any official report being provided to her.
According to her relatives, the accusation against her is based on interviews she conducted with several figures, including a member of parliament and an opposition member — her uncle — both imprisoned since last summer. However, no evidence suggests that her work posed any threat to national security.
A mother of two young children, including an infant, Rukhshona Khakimova, aged 31, was under house arrest until her conviction. A well-known figure in independent journalism in Tajikistan, she has worked for influential media outlets such as Factcheck.tj, conducting investigations on corruption, institutional transparency, and disinformation. In 2023, she received a national award for one of her investigations, highlighting her commitment to free and reliable information.
Climate of repression against the press
Rukhshona Khakimova’s case is part of a broader crackdown on independent journalists in Tajikistan. On 10 January 2025, Paik regional newspaper editor-in-chief Ahmad Ibrohim was sentenced to ten years in prison — an arbitrary decision that effectively marks the death of independent journalism in the Khatlon province. At least nine journalists have been sentenced in recent years to heavy prison terms under the pretext of national security threats or “corruption,” more than in any other Central Asian country.
