Statement the NCRPH on the detention of 13 relatives of Jannatullohi Komil

The National Committee for the Release of Political Hostage and Prisoners of Tajikistan (NCRPH) strongly condemns the detention by the State Committee for National Security of Tajikistan of 13 family members and relatives of Jannatullohi Komil, a political activist and head of the IRPT office in Germany.

According to Jannatullohi Komil, the Authorities did not explain the reason for the arrests and detention of 13 people but demanded that three men of the family surrender to the Authorities. The reason for this request is also unknown.

It should be noted that most of the detainees are women and children. As stated by Jannatullohi Komil, the security forces from Dushanbe detained his brother’s wife Khusnigul Sharipova and his nephew Fatima Komilova with her 3-year-old daughter on June 4 and released them later that evening. But they were requested to cooperate in detention of the three family members.

But two days ago (on June 5th, 2020), security forces in Dangara district detained five women and children from our family and freed them in the same evening. But yesterday (June 6th) they were all again detained and taken to Kulyab.

The list of hostages is as follows:

1. Komilova Shodigul, 52 years old, older sister of Jannatullohi Komil;
2. Komilova Masuma, 23 years old, his brother’s daughter;
3. Marziya, 3 years old, Masuma‘s daughter;
4. Mustafo, 2 months old, Masuma‘s son;
5. Shaikhmurodova Bunafsha, 25 years old, wife of his brother’s son;
6. Atovulloev Dilshod, 28 years old, his sister’s son;
7. Komilov Muhammad, 28 years old, his brother’s son;
8. Komilov Sharif, 29 years old, his brother’s son;
9. Turaev Husain, 23 years old, his sister’s son;

Also, two days ago, in the evening of June 5th, security officers in Dangara detained his brother Komilov Zubaidullo and delivered him to the Dangara Security Department.

The National Committee for the Release of Political Hostage and Prisoners of Tajikistan (NCRPH) strongly condemns the actions of the State Committee for National Security of Tajikistan in detaining innocent children and women and calls on the Ombudsman and Human Rights Organizations inside the country and abroad, in particular the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (OHCHR) and Amnesty International to pay attention to this inhuman act of the Tajik Authorities and take practical actions to release them, as well as to prevent the recurrence of such actions.

The National Committee for the Release of Political Hostage and Prisoners of Tajikistan (NCRPH)

7 th July, 2020

Warsaw, Poland