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Fears grow for Canadian researcher arrested in Tajikistan Fears grow for Canadian researcher arrested in Tajikistan
(3 months later)
Tajik authorities are said to have paraded University of Toronto researcher Alexander Sodiqov, who disappeared three days ago, on television in an apparent attempt to discredit both him and an opposition politician.Tajik authorities are said to have paraded University of Toronto researcher Alexander Sodiqov, who disappeared three days ago, on television in an apparent attempt to discredit both him and an opposition politician.
Friends and colleagues are increasingly concerned that the country may be trying to make an example out of Sodiqov to discourage others from researching tensions between Tajikistan’s authoritarian government and minorities in the restive eastern province of Badakhshan.Sodiqov, a 31-year-old Tajik national who lives in Canada, disappeared in the regional capital Khorog on Monday while doing academic fieldwork on civil society and conflict resolution in central Asia. Friends and colleagues are increasingly concerned that the country may be trying to make an example out of Sodiqov to discourage others from researching tensions between Tajikistan’s authoritarian government and minorities in the restive eastern province of Badakhshan. Sodiqov, a 31-year-old Tajik national who lives in Canada, disappeared in the regional capital Khorog on Monday while doing academic fieldwork on civil society and conflict resolution in central Asia.
Tajikistan’s American-backed secret police service, the GKNB, initially confirmed it had detained Sodiqov and accused him of carrying out “subversion and espionage”. The service has since refused to discuss his whereabouts. Citing an anonymous Khorog resident, Tajikistan’s independent Asia-Plus news agency reported on 18 June that Sodiqov had appeared on local state television twice since his arrest, looking confused. The resident said Sodiqov’s speech appeared to have been edited to discredit the opposition and a religious leader. Tajikistan’s American-backed secret police service, the GKNB, initially confirmed it had detained Sodiqov and accused him of carrying out “subversion and espionage”. The service has since refused to discuss his whereabouts. Citing an anonymous Khorog resident, Tajikistan’s independent Asia-Plus news agency reported on 18 June that Sodiqov had appeared on local state television twice since his arrest, looking confused. The resident said Sodiqov’s speech appeared to have been edited to discredit the opposition and a religious leader.
“He was pale; confused; and probably they forced him to say something. He spoke in Russian. He spoke about research work that he was carrying out [on conflict] in Khorog. According to [Sodiqov] he met [local opposition leader] Alim Sherzamonov and [Sherzamonov] told him that if in 2012 the people of [the eastern province of Badakhshan] had no faith in law enforcement, now they had no faith in the government and the Aga Khan Foundation or the Aga Khan himself. We doubt that Sherzamonov could say that and he himself denies it,” the source said.“He was pale; confused; and probably they forced him to say something. He spoke in Russian. He spoke about research work that he was carrying out [on conflict] in Khorog. According to [Sodiqov] he met [local opposition leader] Alim Sherzamonov and [Sherzamonov] told him that if in 2012 the people of [the eastern province of Badakhshan] had no faith in law enforcement, now they had no faith in the government and the Aga Khan Foundation or the Aga Khan himself. We doubt that Sherzamonov could say that and he himself denies it,” the source said.
The Aga Khan is revered in Badakhshan by many native Pamiris as a benefactor whose development programmes have plugged the holes left by the state.If the comments are true, it appears Sodiqov is being used to discredit Sherzamonov, the leader of the opposition Social Democratic Party in Badakhshan. Sherzamonov, with whom Sodiqov was allegedly speaking on the topic of community conflict at the time of his arrest, has admitted to participating in mass protests in Khorog in May. He claimed police wanted to arrest him at the same time they held Sodiqov, but were unable to because his supporters intervened. The Aga Khan is revered in Badakhshan by many native Pamiris as a benefactor whose development programmes have plugged the holes left by the state. If the comments are true, it appears Sodiqov is being used to discredit Sherzamonov, the leader of the opposition Social Democratic Party in Badakhshan. Sherzamonov, with whom Sodiqov was allegedly speaking on the topic of community conflict at the time of his arrest, has admitted to participating in mass protests in Khorog in May. He claimed police wanted to arrest him at the same time they held Sodiqov, but were unable to because his supporters intervened.
Sodiqov’s research partner John Heathershaw of the University of Exeter said the “heavily edited video” is “worrying.”“This is Alexander’s first public appearance in 72 hours. It is important that the government of Tajikistan provides him with access to a lawyer and informs his family about his whereabouts. I reiterate that Alexander was doing purely academic work, as demonstrated by documents about the project which he was carrying on his person at the time of his arrest. Alexander is an outstanding young Tajikistani scholar and not any kind of agent of a foreign government,” Heathershaw said.Tajik authorities have yet to confirm the charges against Sodiqov or provide any update on his situation. The OSCE and Freedom House have both issued statements of concern. Steve Swerdlow, Central Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch, said the Tajik authorities have broken international law.“Under international law, authorities commit an enforced disappearance when they refuse to acknowledge holding someone in custody or conceal the person’s fate or whereabouts, thereby placing them outside the protection of the law and increasing the risk of torture or ill-treatment,” Swerdlow said.Friends and colleagues have organised at least two petitions demanding Sodiqov’s release. One, posted on Avaaz.org, was organised by Sodiqov’s close family and friends while the other, Scholars for Sodiqov, was organised by Edward Schatz, a political science professor at the University of Toronto, where Sodiqov is working on his doctorate.Tajik authorities are notoriously thin-skinned about anyone prying into their fraught relations with ethnic minorities in Badakhshan, which happens to be a key weigh station on the drug trafficking route between Afghanistan and Russia. Drugs have been implicated in past outbreaks of violence between authorities and locals, including during several shootouts last month.In a veiled statement that many will see as directed at Sodiqov, GKNB head Saimumin Yatimov said on June 19 that foreign spies are operating in Tajikistan as part of a “big geopolitical-ideological game”."Under the guise of non-governmental organisations, they [the spies] use methods that don't benefit the people of Tajikistan. In Tajikistan there are a few spy services – whose status I will not comment on here – that cooperate with organised criminals and spend big sums of money. They prepare them for the fight against our security, undermining the safety of our people,” Radio Ozodi quoted Yatimov as saying. Sodiqov’s research partner John Heathershaw of the University of Exeter said the “heavily edited video” is “worrying.” “This is Alexander’s first public appearance in 72 hours. It is important that the government of Tajikistan provides him with access to a lawyer and informs his family about his whereabouts. I reiterate that Alexander was doing purely academic work, as demonstrated by documents about the project which he was carrying on his person at the time of his arrest. Alexander is an outstanding young Tajikistani scholar and not any kind of agent of a foreign government,” Heathershaw said. Tajik authorities have yet to confirm the charges against Sodiqov or provide any update on his situation. The OSCE and Freedom House have both issued statements of concern. Steve Swerdlow, Central Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch, said the Tajik authorities have broken international law. “Under international law, authorities commit an enforced disappearance when they refuse to acknowledge holding someone in custody or conceal the person’s fate or whereabouts, thereby placing them outside the protection of the law and increasing the risk of torture or ill-treatment,” Swerdlow said. Friends and colleagues have organised at least two petitions demanding Sodiqov’s release. One, posted on Avaaz.org, was organised by Sodiqov’s close family and friends while the other, Scholars for Sodiqov, was organised by Edward Schatz, a political science professor at the University of Toronto, where Sodiqov is working on his doctorate. Tajik authorities are notoriously thin-skinned about anyone prying into their fraught relations with ethnic minorities in Badakhshan, which happens to be a key weigh station on the drug trafficking route between Afghanistan and Russia. Drugs have been implicated in past outbreaks of violence between authorities and locals, including during several shootouts last month. In a veiled statement that many will see as directed at Sodiqov, GKNB head Saimumin Yatimov said on June 19 that foreign spies are operating in Tajikistan as part of a “big geopolitical-ideological game”. "Under the guise of non-governmental organisations, they [the spies] use methods that don't benefit the people of Tajikistan. In Tajikistan there are a few spy services – whose status I will not comment on here – that cooperate with organised criminals and spend big sums of money. They prepare them for the fight against our security, undermining the safety of our people,” Radio Ozodi quoted Yatimov as saying.
The US government has provided millions of dollars of training for Yatimov’s GKNB over the years. The US embassy in Dushanbe has not commented on Sodiqov’s disappearance.David Trilling contributed to this report The US government has provided millions of dollars of training for Yatimov’s GKNB over the years. The US embassy in Dushanbe has not commented on Sodiqov’s disappearance. David Trilling contributed to this report